Heathens
by Writer207
Summary: While the alliance is still trying to survive in a world largely ruled by villains, Uma comes into town and brings chaos to them. When Mal refuses to negotiate with her, she will have to watch Uma take whatever she wants by force. In the meantime, Ben is struggling with his sense of morality. (sequel to Warriors; T because of evil activities)
1. Not today

**Hello guys! Welcome to Heathens! Before we begin: this is a sequel to a story I've finished last year (Warriors) and I highly advise you to read that one before you start here. You can try, of course, but I won't guarantee you'll understand everything that's going on.**

 **To those who have read Warriors: welcome back! Let's jump right back into it, shall we?**

 **(P.S. I do not own any of the lyrics)**

* * *

 _It's just a matter of time_

 _Before it all_

 _Echoes, echoes, and goes_

 _Crashing against the walls_

 _Hold my hand and keep your eyes closed_

 _Before it all_

 _Echoes, echoes, and falls_

 _I suppose it's just a matter of time_

 **A Matter of Time (Sennek)**

* * *

The castle was not going to last much longer.

 _Boom!_ The castle shook again. Mal stumbled but did not fall. Ben was not so lucky and fell on the ground, barely able to keep his balance. Still, he stood up and looked at her with this worried look.

"You okay?" Mal nodded. Over the course of the attack, she had only picked up minor injuries – small cuts and scratches and a couple of bruises.

Ben had been luckier than her. As far as she was aware, he hadn't been injured the past twenty-eight hours. Nobody had run into him, no debris had hit him when it came crashing down, nothing had hurt him when he fell. The only thing that suggested he indeed was present, was the grout covering his hair and face and body. It would be quite the miracle if he stayed unharmed till the end.

The young prince walked over to an opening in the wall, breached by the attacker, and looked through it. He did not see anyone and sighed deeply.

"Does he ever stop?"

Mal shook her head. "Jafar does not easily give up. He will not rest until he gets what he wants."

Jafar, the sultan of Agrabah City and owner of large lands beyond the Great Wall, had been busy ruling the past six months. The absence of his son was first noticed by Iago's daughter, who discovered that Jay was being held captive at Maleficent's old castle, now occupied by the alliance after her defeat. Needless to say, the former vizier was displeased by the situation and wanted his son back.

He had given the alliance an ultimatum. Give me my son back, or I will kill you. They had an hour to consider his demand. But Jafar had grown impatient and started attacking them before the hour was passed.

During times like these, the alliance was glad to have taken up residence in Maleficent's castle. The witch had been prepared for this situation, for she did not trust her allies in conquest. Powerful spells protected the property and everyone inside. Knowing these spells were in place, and knowing the owner of the castle, nobody had tried to besiege it.

But Jafar persisted. He was not easily swayed to stop. Now, nearly twenty-eight hours later, he had gone farther than anyone before him. The castle stood, but it was damaged and broken and the protection spells wore off. Any spell would break under the pressure of Jafar's persistent magical attacks. It was only a matter of time before the castle would collapse.

 _Boom!_ Stones, large and small, fell from the ceiling and crumbled. Stumbling every time Jafar hit the outer walls, Ben and Mal continued their way to the big dining hall on the first floor. There were several dining halls of the same size on different floors within the castle, but the alliance had decided to let their doctors transform this enormous room into their infirmary. Since then, there haven't been too many patients. Today was the glaring exception.

Despite the provided space, the hall was packed with people. Those who could not stand or sit shared a bed with someone else, or were just lying on the ground. Others sat aside and, endangering their lives, leaned against the unstable walls. There were cries of despair and sobs from everywhere. Blood-curling screams pierced through the air and children wailed. In the far corner, four white sheets covered the same amount of deceased.

The sheer number of patients made it hard for the doctors to give everyone the same amount of attention and care. While they tried their best, it did not seem to be enough

Evie sat near the entrance, two cauldrons on either side of her and all sorts of ingredients stacked in front of her. Her hair was frizzy and out of place, having sat there for hours on end and trying to make the healing potions and painkillers as quickly as she could. At the same time, Doug walked around the hall to listen to each of the patients' complaints and to diagnose them. Through his walkie-talkie, he could tell his assistants what they needed to bring to which patient.

There were five assistants walking around with walkie-talkies. They moved around considerably faster than Doug, but the bodies of the ailing and hurt made it for the six of them hard to go as fast as they wanted to. One of them, the redheaded assistant, would come over to Evie and take what was needed most and if it was already available. He also told the others how long the brewing was going to take. Intuitively, he also helped some patients with their pain management, drugging them until actual help would arrive.

The operation was run smoothly, but not built to last. These seven people had been working since the beginning of the attack, only taking short naps in between. Exhaustion could take any of them. Despite the help of some compassionate people, anything could go awry and the roof could literally come crashing down at any given moment.

Mal watched the crowd and numbness crawled over her as she stepped into the hall. Along with the medical team, she and Ben hadn't slept much since the attack began either. Seeing the toll it took on these innocent people was hard, and she wished she could stop the terror right now. But there was only one thing that would convince Jafar to stop.

Mal wished Lonnie and Philip were here. They'd know what to do, they'd know how to defuse the situation. But Lonnie was off to chase rumors about her father in the Northern Wei region and Philip had disappeared. They weren't here to help them with this increasing problem.

A small hand grabbed Mal's pants and tugged. Mal turned her head: a young girl sitting on the ground had grasped it and clung to it. She had pulled up her knees and held them with the other hand. The large cut just under her chestnut hair was still bleeding, though not heavily. Tears had stained her cheek and even now, she sobbed. Worst of all, nobody looked after her. She was all alone.

Mal sat down on her knees and carefully placed a hand on her forehead. The same girl was terrified of Maleficent's daughter only months ago, but today she did not flinch. Mal closed her eyes and cast a spell that closed the wound but did not remove the clotted blood or the pain. At least the gaping wound was gone. The girl lifted her head, a wide, jubilant grin on her face. She whispered a "thank you", and Mal couldn't help but smile.

Since the battle with Maleficent, Mal had improved in spell-casting, especially in non-verbal spells which she still needed to mentally recite. This was an effect of the stealth missions she had carried out for the alliance. Slowly, over the course of six months, it had become her main way of spell-casting, even more than the verbal spells.

 _Boom!_ The castle shook and grout fell down, along with some smaller pieces of rock. People shrieked in fear and covered their heads. The assistants rushed through the hall as quickly as they could, trying to figure out whether anyone was injured by this latest attack. Doug finished talking to one patient and moved to the next, glancing at the patients near the wall as if he wanted to help them. Evie sighed as she removed the rubble from her cauldrons, trying to measure the damage to the potions and ingredients.

"This has to stop," Ben said, a pained look in his eyes and a pale face from the grout and the injuries he witnessed. These were his people, and his decisions had left them trapped in a stone prison, with the enemy at the gate. Their defenses were weakened and Jafar was at least ten times more powerful than Mal. In a battle of magic, Jafar would be crowned victor.

At times like these, Ben really missed Philip by his side.

"There is only one way this will end," Mal said, avoiding Ben's gaze. "He needs to get what he came for."

Ben shook his head. "We can't do that."

"He'll just continue until we're all dead, he doesn't care about our lives."

"If we release Jay, he'll come back and wreak havoc. We'll have the same scenario over again. And who says Jafar won't kill us after he has his son back?"

"I can make him promise." Mal did not regret the words coming out of her mouth. "When I confront Jafar, I can make him promise that he and his allies will bring us no harm." It was a long shot, but they had run out of options. They had to do something before the castle was nothing more than a ruin. And this might just work.

Ben remained silent for a while – Mal hoped he would listen to her – and then he sighed, turning his head and looking at her.

"I hope you're right." His voice was one of despair. Ben, being the leader, wanted to face Jafar alone, but Mal wouldn't let him. She took his hand tightly and squeezed it reassuringly. They looked each other in the eyes when Mal silently cast the transportation spell. Within one second, they stood outside, at a distance of thirty feet from the sultan.

He hadn't grown in size, which made it easier to approach him. He had not donned the attire of the sultan, preferring the red and black of the vizier. The cold and the light snowfall did not seem to bother him, as he ignored the snowflakes falling before his face and focused only on the castle. He launched one more attack before he noticed the two teenagers. He grinned at them menacingly, in a way that all villains could.

"Mal! Just the girl I wanted to see."

Mal was not fooled by that feigned enthusiasm and for Ben's sake, she spoke in his stead. He had recognized she was more qualified to speak to villains without the situation escalating.

Mal folded her arms and stared at Jafar. "Let's make a deal." She took a deep breath, searching for the right words. If she spoke one word that could make her offer ambiguous and up to interpretation, Jafar could easily screw them over. "We will leave you alone. You will get your son back."

"So Jay will come back to me, and you will not make any attempts to annex my lands." Mal had a feeling he tried his hardest to twist the meaning.

"Only as long as you don't attack us," Ben added to the conversation. Mal agreed with Ben but hoped the former vizier would consider the offer. This was the only way he would ever get him back, and that was agreeing to their terms. They could not account for the behavior of the separate people, but they could ask the alliance to not actively recruit Jafar's subjects.

Jafar stared at them, the silence deafening and tensions rising. All the while, Mal tried to remain stone-faced. Jafar liked to make deals with those who were not afraid of him, which Mal and Ben definitely were.

After what felt like an eternity, Jafar answered.

"We have a deal." That was great, but it wasn't the reassurance Mal wanted.

"Do you swear on the Hangman's Tree that you and your allies will not attack us?" The Hangman's Tree was the symbol of evil. When the villains first broke free, they settled on Neverland, where they strung up most Lost Boys and the Hangman's Tree finally earned its name. As the first act of their freedom, this symbol was holy and relished among all villains, as well as the subject of a binding oath.

Jafar grinned again. "Clever girl! I can see why my son befriended you. Yes, I swear on the Hangman's Tree that my associates and I will not attack you again."

Mal breathed in relief, a burden lifted from her shoulders when Jafar confirmed their deal. He had ceased throwing every harmful spell he knew at the castle, and now Jay only needed to be returned to his father to seal their deal.

"I will bring him," Mal responded. She briefly glanced at Ben – she wouldn't bring him along and hoped that he would not do or say anything that could invoke Jafar's wrath. The former vizier could be a sensitive man.

With the thought of the spell, she sent herself to the dungeon. No sun ever reached this place, which was only dimly-lit with ever-burning torches. Every cell could hold any kind of prisoners, even wizards and warlocks – the special bars negated their magic, making them powerless. No year ago, Ben spent a couple of days in one of these cells. But currently, there were two prisoners.

One of them was Audrey. She was a shadow of her former self. She sat back against the wall and stared in front of her, disinterested and only moving her eyes when Mal appeared in the other cell. She had no comment ready, unlike the second prisoner.

"Let me guess, my father's here." Jay sat in the cell opposite Audrey. Whereas Audrey sat straight up, he leaned and sat in a comfortable position, one leg pulled up and a smug grin on his face. Mal rolled her eyes and shook his head. Jay always did have something to say and wanted to have the last word. Sometimes, Mal believed that he was incapable of being a serious person, but incidents in the past contradicted this belief.

He glared at her with such disgust and resentment. He had not forgiven Mal for changing her allegiance and becoming a good person. He would never forgive her for turning Evie good, too, and at least planting the idea of goodness in Carlos. In his eyes, she had torn their friendship apart and had isolated them. In his eyes, he was the hero who would bring evil back to the lands, and she was the villain to be defeated.

"Let's go." Mal grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Jay did not fight back this time – knowing of his release, resisting would only slow it down.

Again, only one thought of the spell she'd recite was enough to teleport them back to the field in front of the castle, where Ben and Jafar were waiting. Without waiting anymore, she shoved Jay towards his father. He walked the distance of ten yards, plowing through the one-inch snow, and only turned around when he was safely behind his father, waiting to see what his father would do.

"Will you keep your end of the deal?" Jafar turned this question to Ben, expecting an answer from him. Jay frowned and glanced at his father, curious about what was going on but not wanting to ask at that point in time.

"We have your word, so you have mine." Jafar liked the answer but confused Jay even more.

"Very well," Jafar said and nodded. "When we see each other again, I hope it will be under different circumstances." With a poof of smoke, Jafar and his son disappeared out of sight. The only proof they had of him ever being here, was the damaged castle and the footsteps they'd left in the snow. The siege had officially ended, and the alliance was finally safe again.

Mal sighed in relief. She turned to the castle and her heart sank. This was her home, and seeing it destroyed – or mostly in ruins – hurt her in ways she didn't know before. The outer walls needed to be rebuilt at one point, the protective spells needed to be reinforced and the inside structure would hold for now. The alliance members who'd chosen to stay here instead of at Neverland would need to find a new home; the castle had become too unstable. It probably wouldn't be safe anymore to go all the way to the top, which in itself might be best.

Either way, things could go back to normal – as far as their life could be considered normal.


	2. Doubt

**MaliceMalAmyMalevFaery:** _As a Belgian, I can confirm it was indeed not fun to not qualify with a song like that. It's too bad Greece didn't qualify, either._ _(more eurovision songs coming up, btw) Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Mustang52:** _Yeah, war's not gonna just stop after one battle (it'd be boring if it did). And them making decisions together is just one thing I thought reflected their relationship nicely. They are cute together. Thanks for reviewing!_

 **(P.S. I do not own the lyrics)**

* * *

 _Masquerading as a man with a reason_

 _My charade is the event of the season_

 _And if I claim to be a wise man,_

 _Well, it surely means that I don't know_

 **Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas)**

* * *

Ben and Mal retreated to the throne room. Most council meetings were held in this room, standing safely on the second floor, and Mal was satisfied to see it had not been dealt too much damage. It was a large space, with iron chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. One of them had fallen on the ground, candles scattered around it and some persisting. This room was safe enough to enter at the moment, and so Ben and Mal could discuss their problems without anyone overhearing them. Nobody was going to enter the throne room now; everyone was too busy doing other things, mostly repair.

Ben marched off like a tired soldier and sat down on the steps before Maleficent's throne, a sigh escaping his mouth and a hand on his lowered head.

"Are you alright?" Mal asked him. The last twenty-eight hours had taken its toll on the both of them, but she figured it impacted him more. He had been the leader, their unofficial King, and he was supposed to give the orders. He'd barely slept trying to protect everyone in the castle. He stuck with a defensive strategy, even if it wasn't an ideal situation.

He lifted his head. There were black circles under his eyes. It was impossible to keep up appearances. Those who passed him definitely had seen it – he was exhausted.

Ben shook his head. "No. I mean…" he paused, glancing inside and taking deep breaths. "Did we do the right thing?"

We. His choice of words made apparent which decision he alluded to. Mal sat down next to him – she needed her rest as well, though not as much as Ben did.

"I think so. We saved people. Jafar is gone. We won't have to worry about him anymore."

"I know. But at what cost?"

Mal frowned. "What do you mean?" Even though Ben doubted himself, she knew they had made the right decision. There was no other decision they could have taken. As far as she was concerned, there was no cost – but Ben seemed to think differently about the situation.

He stared at the ground. "We've come far. We've occupied a castle and provided a safe space so people won't need to look over their shoulders anymore. We did that. But only after beating Maleficent at her own game."

"And now, we've made a deal and saved them again," Mal responded. She glanced aside, at Ben.

"Yes, we did." He rubbed his neck, sighing deeply. Maybe he'd hoped that Mal wouldn't catch this, but she was more attentive than he believed her to be.

"What's bothering you?" He lifted his head, looked at her. "I'm not blind. You can tell me anything."

Ben seemed a bit reassured by this and finally opened his mouth. "We're the good guys. The heroes, not the villains, struggled to survive. Only after Maleficent became a lizard, did our enemies lay low. Our outposts had nothing to fear anymore from the villains closest to them. Then Jafar comes along and we make a deal with him, no fighting involved."

"It was our only option," Mal reminded him. That couldn't be what was on his mind, could it?

"True. But still…" He searched for the right words. "What if it sends the wrong message?"

"Which message?"

Ben shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe that we won't fight back? That we're not strong and can easily be extorted?" He may have wanted to say more, but he could no longer suppress a yawn. Mal felt one coming as well but managed to hold it back.

"We did the right thing," Mal said. "Screw the message. We ended a conflict peacefully. We're still strong."

"Are we? We only managed to beat your mother with the help of the people. Without them, we'd be dead, or worse." Or worse indeed; running around like beasts and wreaking havoc.

Mal put her hand on Ben's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Violence isn't our strong point. We only fight when absolutely necessary, and that makes us strong. They can't hurt the mind." She paused. "Besides, we have the best defenders in all of Auradon."

Lonnie had taught a couple of people how to fight and defend well, with a plethora of weapons. They then passed on those techniques to others, and so the castle and subsequently, Neverland and some outlier villages where a minority of supporters lived, all had people who knew what to do in times of danger.

Ben agreed with her, nodding and rubbing in his eyes.

Mal patted his back. "Take a break. You're no good when you're walking around tired."

Ben smiled slightly and looked at her. "What gave it away?"

"You almost sounded like my mother," Mal said, staring at Ben with a sad look in her eyes. Her mother always insisted on being the best. Those hirelings and beasts could have easily been put aside, as Maleficent on her own was a formidable threat already, but she still showed her power by hiring these people and creating these creatures to put it on display. She never negotiated – she either got what she wanted or burned things to the ground. Muck like Jafar did. It worried her that he thought diplomatic negotiation wasn't quite as grand as a display of powers. Then there was his unspoken feeling of not having enough armed alliance members – as if that would scare away villains.

"You're right, that's too much." He stood up from the steps and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her upright, even though she had not needed the help.

"I'm going to take a few hours," he said.

"How about half a day?" Mal smiled at him. "The castle won't fall while you're asleep. Take as much time as you need."

Ben nodded at her in response and marched out of the throne room, not quite like a tired soldier anymore, but she could still see it in his walk.

As soon as the door fell shut, Mal was left alone in this massive space and she dropped her smile. Standing in the throne room, she often felt so small, but she still liked staying in the room. Since it was restricted to everyone but her, Ben and the council, there hadn't been many modifications. The only change was a round table standing in the middle, ten chairs around it. Mal could easily imagine the table and chairs weren't present, and so she could finally feel at home again in the castle.

She tried to. It did not quite feel the same since she walked out eight months ago and returned with the resistance six months ago.

The resistance… that was how her mother had called it. They called it the alliance, but even that was a vague term. They should hold a vote on a new name one of these days.

Again, her mind had wandered off to her mother, and how she was doing. She worried the witch would return, that she would transform from a lizard back into a woman, and from a woman into a dragon and that she would return and kill everyone on sight. Even now, Mal wasn't sure what exactly had happened, how strong the magic was and whether Maleficent, along with her body, had also lost her mind.

The one thing that survived that magic was her mother's staff. Mal had found it, abandoned on the battlefield. Fortunately, nobody had tried to pick it up and, God forbid, use it. Mal had quickly grabbed it and had taken it out of sight. When the people asked where it was, Mal responded it was now the lizard's tail. Only the council knew the staff was hidden away, and only Mal knew where it was hidden.

It was better this way. It was a beacon for dark and forbidden magic – which, of course, had been practiced freely until Maleficent's demise – and no doubt Maleficent had put some sort of curse on it. It was best left in its hiding place, gathering dust and being forgotten, far out of sight and out of reach. Still, she wondered what Philip thought of this.

The day after the battle, Mal locked away her mother's staff. The day after the battle, Philip disappeared. There were rumors. He was last spotted near Chad's grave on Neverland. That was the last time anyone had seen him. He'd vanished. Maybe he died.

Either way, if he lived, he did not want to be found. Such a pity – Mal could have really used his help with the siege. And even though she wished he was here, she wished him all the best, too.

She sat there, in introspection, until the sun had completely set. Casting one last glance at the throne, she left and sauntered to her bedroom and get some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

Around midnight, their shift was finally over. Evie and Doug left the packed infirmary and exhausted, they strolled back to their room. As they were the heads of the infirmary department, and because Doug was a councilmember, they had earned the privilege of being able to sleep in a separate room. There were some smaller spaces that had been remodeled into sleeping rooms, which were used by the council members, department heads and of course the leader of the alliance himself. They would have accepted a bed in one of the three new sleeping halls, but the comfort of privacy was a nice gift.

Their room was located close to the infirmary, on the same floor and about a two-minute stroll away from each other. That way, they could both stay close to their patients, even while they weren't technically working, and aid one of their assistants when they needed the help.

Doug did want to stay on Neverland, but he moved to the castle eventually. Evie had convinced him to come. Now, one of his cousins stayed in his old room and has taken over as the head of the infirmary on Neverland.

Their room was compact and luckily, the two did not need too much space to be happy. There was a two-person bed pressed in the middle, a nightstand at either side, a closet to the wall and some free space that could easily fit another double bed. That was all the space they had. There was, unfortunately, no window, but they had a candle on one of the nightstands that provided their much-needed light. Usually, the light under the door announced whether it was the day had started or not.

Doug immediately let himself fall down on the bed when they entered their room, and Evie – a tired smile on her face – sat down next to him, prodding him. He had fallen right in the middle and if he fell asleep now, he wouldn't be awoken for another ten hours. In this position, there wasn't a lot of space for Evie.

"Is there something wrong or are you just that tired?" Evie asked him. Doug groaned.

"I'm that tired." He pushed himself upright and turned to her. "After some good night's sleep, I'll be fine."

"I'm exhausted, too." And still, there was this glint in his eyes. She'd seen it before. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"He couldn't help but stare. Even after five months, he couldn't believe she was his girlfriend. Even after four months, he couldn't believe they were sharing a bedroom. He definitely was the luckiest dwarf alive, having found genuine love from the Queen Grimhilde's daughter, something he never thought possible. He wished they could live in this moment, here and now, and forget the world. But Fate rarely allowed things stay the same, and the moment would be gone within hours.

"How's your mother doing?" he eventually asked after a long pause.

"She's doing fine. Still under house arrest." After Maleficent was defeated, they went to Queen Grimhilde's castle. It was located ten miles away from Maleficent's castle. Grimhilde hadn't bothered to find a home in the region she'd be governing right after her escape from the Isle. Instead, she had picked the nicest-looking castle. The alliance had found her right there and had placed her under house arrest. She couldn't leave, other villains were strongly advised not to visit, but she wasn't living in poverty. It was her old life, but without magic, without her evil guests and without access to the outside world.

Evie knew it was necessary. Despite her vainness and her lazy nature, she was a dangerous person. And still, it hurt her. Grimhilde was still a mother and despite her change of heart, she still loved her mother. And Grimhilde still loved her as much as she ever did, when she wasn't extending that love to herself.

"You are a terrible liar," Evie said.

Doug glanced at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You got me." She watched him expectantly and he took a deep breath.

"The past day and a half… so many people were hurt."

"They are always going to get hurt," Evie said. She already had a feeling where this was going, but she still could not be sure. Either way, if this truly was going the way she thought it would, she'd rather discuss it now than later.

"They need our help. Desperately," Doug continued, "What if there's another siege? Another attack? Many people will die if we are not around to heal them."

Evie briefly smiled. That was the man she loved – always caring about others. Maybe sometimes too much. "We will. We can come over and do our jobs." Otherwise, we can just stay away.

Doug and Evie had made a deal. One month ago, they decided they would look for a home, away from the castle, and live a life together. They would go someplace where nobody knew who they were, where they could live in peace, away from the alliance, but ever on call in case of an emergency. They were going to move in soon, but a major attack like this one has apparently changed Doug's mind.

"We can't leave now." He shook his head, determined, looking at Evie. "There are still so many patients. I cannot leave them behind." On one hand, he would love to go away with Evie and start their new life together. On the other, he could not leave while so many people still needed care and a treatment for all kinds of injuries and illnesses.

"One week," he said. One more week in the castle. One week to allow him to help his patients. One week before they would leave the life behind. And if disaster struck on the seventh day, he would help only after moving in and being called in for his first job living away from the infirmary.

Evie nodded in agreement. "One week." She spoke in a way that allowed no disagreement. He's gotten used to it, even if Evie did not use this tone too often. It just showed she meant it. One week was one week, not seven days.

"Good." He stretched. "Now, can I have some rest?"

"Sure."

They readied themselves for bed, and snuggled together under the heavy blankets, protecting them from the cold winter days. The candle lit the room, still, and Evie had yet to blow it out, considering it stood on the nightstand on her side of the bed.

"When someone knocks on the door, you're getting up," Doug said groggily. Evie could not suppress a smile.

"We'll see about that." Evie blew out the candle.


	3. Sherwood

**So... it's a long one today.**

 **Mustang52:** _Well, they're taking it slowly. Maybe, at the end of the story, they'll share a room (but not yet). Thanks for reviewing!_

 **(I do not own any of the lyrics)**

* * *

 _If you look into the distance,_

 _There's a house upon the hill_

 _Guiding like a lighthouse_

 _To a place where you'll be_

 _Safe to feel at grace_

 _'Cause we've all made mistakes_

 _If you've lost your way_

 _I will leave the light on_

 **I'll leave a light on (Tom Walker)**

* * *

The largest forest of Auradon was known as Sherwood Forest. Once, deep within the trees, it held the base of operations for the Merry Men. Later, that same base had been used by the alliance, for it was the safest place they could find to stay a secret. They occupied it until Maleficent attacked. Since then, the forest was only inhabited by the Auradonian wildlife and a plethora of magical creatures.

There lay a village on the border of this forest which could be considered a city. Still, over the years, it had kept its original name: Sherwood Village. This had become the territory of the Sheriff of Nottingham, who ruled justly over the people. During his reign, it had become a quiet city, for nobody would cause trouble while he was around.

Those days were long past.

The strangers had come only a week ago. At first, they stayed outside the city in their own tents and carts, but they did visit the city while the sun was in the sky. The Sheriff did not think much of them – after all, the oldest couldn't be older than nineteen years old. It was a group of ten to twenty teenagers, all just as weird and strange as the next one. They seemed mismatched but acted like they were the best of friends and wore smiles on their faces throughout the day. Some had committed small misdemeanors, but they always apologized and seemed generally nice, though a bit arrogant and haughty.

On the third day, The Sheriff allowed some of them to stay in the city. One of them – a simple blond kid – even thanked him for the hospitality. Most of the teens agreed to stay in the camp. They also met Jack. From that day forward, things spiraled out of the Sheriff's control.

The Sheriff's son befriended the teenagers fairly quickly. He was invited to one of their parties – the Sheriff wondered what that would look like. They seemed to hold a party every night. When Jack returned, the Sheriff grew suspicious of the teenagers. Jack had started acting differently. He was unruly and disobedient and would much rather have fun with his new friends.

On the sixth day, Jack called the teenagers his family. That was where the Sheriff drew the line. By then, it was already too late. Before the Sheriff knew what was happening, a Bear of Dunbroch and a knight were forcing him into a cell. They had locked it and left, Jack following them and the keys well out of sight.

The Sheriff never knew all of their names. But there was one he remembered, if only because the teenagers and Jack mentioned her from time to time. They were the followers of a girl named Uma.

* * *

That night, they made a large bonfire in the middle of Main Street in Sherwood Village. Its fire always seemed brighter when it contrasted the darkness of the street. Other than the crew, there was nobody on the streets. The inhabitants of Sherwood Village had locked themselves inside their homes, hoping the intruders would leave them alone. And they did – they only had eyes for the bonfire and each other. They did not make it too big, so none of the houses in close proximity would burn. Around them, the fire melted the snow falling to the ground.

They had pulled their carts into the city. It contained their water supply (plus some wine and beer) and some of their recently gathered foods, among which cheese, some raw vegetables, and meat – which could be cooked with the heat of the bonfire – and fruits, of which there were mostly apples, red and green. Everyone ate at least something, and all was well.

Uma watched the scene unfold with a wicked grin on her face. She always loved to take a minute to watch the world around her after another victory. She liked the happy faces and liked how easily this had gone.

After locking up the Sheriff, it wasn't hard to assert authority over the village. The rumors said he'd gone soft. The rumors were true. It was possible not every inhabitant would know right away what had happened, but those who did know weren't going to make a fuss about it. Daily life could continue without the Sheriff, after all. Except, the Sheriff wasn't in charge anymore, but Uma was.

That was how they always did it. Find a small city, challenge the biggest authority figure and assert authority. Then they'd leave, and someone would rule "in her name". It was more of a formality, but if Uma were ever to return with a request, they had no choice but to obey or face the consequences.

"Uma." Hearing her name pulled her out of her thoughts. In front of her stood her first mate, Harry Hook. No matter how he looked, Uma found him to be handsome. The circumstances under which they had once met each other were so unlikely, she was glad to have him with her.

"Did you find anything?" She asked him. He, along with two others, had gone house to house, searching it for the tiniest clue of magic. Uma was a powerful witch already, but not quite powerful enough to break one particular curse that bound them to this land.

"Nothing," Harry responded. "The solution isn't here." Again, nothing! Uma wanted to throw something, but there was nothing within reach for her to grab and throw away. There were apples, but she'd rather not waste one out of sheer frustration.

"But," Harry continued, dragging out the syllable with a sing-song voice, "we did find someone of interest."

As if on cue, Harry's partners stepped forward. In between them, they held a young woman. They had bound her hands and held her arms tightly, so she wouldn't escape. Even in the light of the fire, that illuminated only half of her face, she looked beautiful: her dark brown hair falling on her shoulders, the freckles on her face, and piercing green eyes that glared at Uma. A feisty woman trying to get away from the group.

Uma laughed excitedly, already forgetting about Harry's failure. She may be no curse-breaker, but this was a good present nonetheless.

"Hello, Drew," Uma said, unable to wipe that grin off of her face. "It's been a while."

Uma and Drew had only met once. Uma chased her, her little sister and their cousin, to punish them for their irrational behavior. They had lost the trio, but her face was ingrained in Uma's memory. Finding Drew and company had become some sort of side-quest, one that had now been completed.

Drew spat at them. It landed right before Uma. "Go to hell."

"No, thanks," Harry replied. He folded his arms and stared at her with a condescending look in his eyes. Uma did not say anything about the response – she shouldn't worry about it. It was just one of his stupid remarks, didn't mean anything. With one breath, she managed to let it go.

Uma slightly tilted her head. "I've been hearing rumors about your family." Every villain and their families had been hearing these rumors. One in particular interested Uma: they say Drew, her little sister and cousin were going to take over from their mothers and openly proclaim their support for the alliance. As villain kids, it would be like mutiny on a ship: unacceptable.

"I'm not saying anything," Drew immediately said. There was hatred in her eyes and if she had the opportunity, she would probably jump on Uma and attack her.

"You don't have to say much," Uma replied. She took one step closer to the struggling young woman. "All you need to do is give me a name. A location." Uma leaned in closer, looking threateningly at her. "Where are they, Drew?"

Drew spat again, this time hitting Uma in her face. Somehow, the revelry behind and all around them had become quieter, as if they knew what had happened and everyone collectively holding their breaths.

Slowly, Uma pulled away from Drew and wiped the spit off of her face. When her eyes met Drew's again, Uma glared at her.

"This is your last chance," Uma sneered. "If you speak, we will let you, Dizzy and Anthony live. If you don't cooperate, I'll kill them slowly and make you watch. Your choice."

Drew did not flinch. She just pushed her shoulders back and raised her chin, too proud to answer that sentence and as such refusing to give Uma what she wanted. Uma waited ten seconds for an answer, after which she was done giving second chances.

"As you wish," Uma said. That was the last time that day she looked at Drew. She turned her eyes away from the oldest Tremaine daughter and looked at the two boys holding her.

"Put her in a cell." They obeyed and carried her away. That left Uma and Harry alone in a crowd of about twenty teenagers, all equally devoted to the cause as their leaders were. Again, Uma's eyes scanned the crowds.

She loved this. One year ago she wouldn't have thought to ever walk on land, let alone lead a small group of people. But things inevitably change, and Uma was forced on land, and there were people for her to lead.

Harry put his hand on her shoulder and playfully pinched it. Uma smiled widely.

"We'll find that solution," he said. "It's gotta be here, somewhere." Uma turned to Harry. He smirked and watched her longingly, his face orange from the bonfire light. "Let's make some magic." He let his hand slide from her shoulder to her back, to her waist, …

"Not yet," Uma said. "I need to do one more thing first." She turned around and faced the crowd again, looking for one face in particular. She could not immediately find it and therefore, she had to call for him.

"GIL!" Almost immediately, a blond tall boy made it's way from the crowd to Uma and Harry.

Gil had been the second person Uma met on land she actually liked. Not in a romantic way, though. He was friendly, polite and more importantly, the son of Gaston that wasn't totally self-obsessed and narcissistic. Gil was his only child who didn't inherit his dark hair that covered every last inch of him. When she offered him a chance to walk away from his family, he wholeheartedly agreed.

"Yes, Uma?" he said. He watched her expectantly.

"Guard our prisoner, will you? Make sure she has something to eat." Uma put emphasis on the last three words, and Gil nodded once, the look on his face making clear he knew what she was talking about. He marched off to one of the carts, took a handful of apples and then went straight to the holding cells, to Drew.

"Good boy."

"Harry!" Uma called out, but her followers did not pay much attention to it. It wasn't a strict and authoritarian cry, but one of pleasure.

"What?" Harry said the smirk on his face. "He listens well." Everyone here listened well. The only ones that truly had a choice in the matter were Gil and Harry. And they both were true believers of the cause.

Uma looked at Harry's handsome face again. "Now let's make some magic."

Harry grinned even wider than before if that was even possible.

Uma and Harry disappeared into the hotel and did not come out of their room until dawn.

* * *

Gil sighed as he picked the apples. It was always a guess which one would do the harm, but there was no telling. After he'd taken five or so, he walked off to the Sheriff's station, where they would be holding the poor Tremaine girl.

"Good boy." Gil did not turn around or flinch. Harry had made no effort to whisper or talk softly. Gil always pretended not to hear it. It was better that way. He would keep quiet, and Harry wouldn't make any trouble, and Uma wouldn't get involved. It was better not to say anything about it at all. At least nobody would want to guard Drew, so he'd have a place and a moment for himself.

Still, it gnawed at him. Was that what he'd been reduced to? A regular lap dog? Uncle LeFou had been right – don't rush into making a decision, you'll regret it. But unfortunately, Gil had no way of telling his beloved uncle without raising suspicion.

Jack, the Sheriff's kid, exited the building right when Gil approached the entrance. Jack held open the door with one hand, holding the other in his pocket.

"I thought you'd be with the others," Gil said. Jack shrugged.

"I had some choice words for my father." Then he left, off to the informal get-together. From that moment on, Gil was truly alone.

The cells had bad lighting. The fluorescent tubes on the ceiling were flickering, on and off and on again on an irregular basis. Gil placed the apples on the desk and flipped the switch, shutting off the light. In its stead, he lit a candle. At least the heating functioned properly. It was the one thing Gil could enjoy – he didn't have a reason to stay out in the cold anymore.

It was your standard floor. Two holding cells, equally as big, took up one half of the room. The other half was the Sheriff's office, where he had a clear view of the prisoners through the metal bars. One cell held Drew, the other the Sheriff.

The Sheriff had been knocked unconscious. Blood dripped down his face and Gil shuddered. He decided not to look at the man too much and instead focused his attention on Drew.

She was extremely unhappy to be here, and he figured he would experience her fury. She glared at him, anger flowing through her veins. Her hands were still bound together.

"Give me your hands," Gil asked, coming closer to the bars. Drew stepped backward.

She didn't trust him. Of course she didn't.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Let me take that rope off of your wrists." He patiently waited near the door and eventually, Drew did approach her. Cautiously, warily. Gil shot her a reassuring smile which probably did not help much, and removed the rope from her wrists. He tossed it aside and walked back to the desk.

She didn't thank him. Maybe she wanted to, but she didn't say it out loud.

He grabbed an apple and moved back to the bars, holding it through it and hoping Drew would at least take it. "In case you're hungry."

Drew immediately came forward and grabbed the apple. At first, Gil believed she was that starved, but soon she smashed it on the ground and trampled it with her foot. He sighed deeply. She continued to glare at him.

"I don't want your apples."

"I know," Gil nodded. This was where he stepped in. This was what he was good at. "It's not easy to just take that bite. Not even when you're hungry." That was who he was. He was the cruelest of the three, even if nobody else would ever suspect it, and he hated it.

Drew remained where she was, in the middle of the cell, half-concealed by the darkness. Gil found himself staring at her, feeling nothing but pity. Such a fierce and prideful and just woman. How unfortunate she had to run into Uma's crew.

"Tell Uma I'd rather starve than to eat one of those poisonous apples!"

Gil walked over to the desk again, took an apple and returned. He sat down on the wooden planks before the cell and placed the apple in front of him, the second of the five he had.

"They're not poisonous," he said. "It'd be easier, wouldn't it? Poison your enemies, be done with it. It's what the Evil Queen tried to do. It's a good and innocent method. Widespread, too, so not common anymore."

He lifted the apple and placed it on the palm of his hand, holding it in front of his face. If he moved his eyes, he could see Drew's confused look in her eyes.

"Fate decided we'd be here tonight, together. Which is cruel, to say the least. The apple won't kill you. But when you know its purpose, you'll wish you died." He permanently averted his eyes from the apple and watched Drew. "When I still believed, I convinced most of the guys outside to take a bite. After Harry scared them and raked up their miseries and before Uma officially welcomed them. An efficient team, she calls us."

He put the apple back on the ground, not breaking eye contact. Drew sat down on the ground as well. "I don't want this any more than you do. Thing is, I don't have a choice. Soon, you may not either." Uma expected results. Uma wanted results. She never did accept failure. Gil could still feel the scars itching from time to time.

"Seems to me like you can choose to run," she said. Gil shook his head before she was done talking.

"I can't run." He sighed – these memories were most painful – and tried to take regular breaths to stop his trembling. But the images… he couldn't stop the images from flashing before his eyes. "I've seen three bright, young people figure out what was going on. They ran away individually. We quickly caught two, the third stayed out of reach for two weeks. It always ended the same." With Harry publicly driving his sword through their hearts, labeling the three as traitors and spies and deserving of such a severe punishment and the entire crew cheering him on.

He stared at the apple. "Just one bite. That's all it takes, and you're done for. Ignorant. Complacent. It's that easy. One bite, and it's all gone." By that point, he was no longer addressing Drew. There would be no more doubts, no more nights spent wondering how he could leave, only to shoot down his own ideas. He couldn't leave without dying. He couldn't be truly happy without leaving. He could be happy if he took a bite. He would be complacent if he took that bite. He wouldn't know the difference; he wouldn't care, because he'd finally be at peace.

"Don't." Gil lifted his head. Drew had come a bit closer to him, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "I have a cousin. Once I tell him about you, I know he'd love to meet you."

Strange how such simple words could have such a profound impact on him. If only for one night, he did not think about or want to eat the apple.

With nobody to eavesdrop on them – Uma trusted Gil enough not to have someone else spy on them – Gil and Drew could have their conversation undisturbed. They shared experiences and talked primarily about parents and legacies, and what they would do when they were free – free from the cell, free from the crew.

Even when the fire outside died out and the noise gradually reduced, they talked. By that point, Gil had become exhausted after a day of hard work and keeping up appearances. It was cozy despite the bars between them and the lack of furniture, and the mood only changed when Gil's eyes fell upon the near-perfect red apple standing between them and he stopped talking and smiling.

"What is it?" Drew asked him, ready to jump up or grab the apple before Gil fell back into his melancholic thoughts.

"I'm going to have to leave it there," Gil said. He did not take his eyes off of it, and the reality of the situation hit him hard. "It'd show that I'd at least have tried."

"What happens when I don't eat it?" Drew asked.

"You'll be force-fed," Gil said with a monotone. "I'll be punished." He wondered what they would use this time, and who would do the deed. He wondered whether those scars would itch as well, or whether they'd burn.

"Don't think about that," Drew said. "Those are worries for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow…" It seemed far away and so near. Tomorrow, they would leave Sherwood Forest behind. They would go somewhere new, someplace where they were not known, where they could find several more fine young men and women who would need convincing to join the crew.

They didn't speak anymore. Gil, leaning against the wall, stared at Drew as she curled up on the floor and tried to catch some sleep. She looked thin, he noted, but not thin as in underfed. She probably was used to having a full stomach, anyway. Would she make it through the night without giving in to hunger?

He had no idea how much time passed before he, too, fell asleep, the only one of the crew who did not spend the night in a soft bed. Gil dreamed of seeing his uncle again, and him forgiving his nephew for everything.

* * *

On the seventh day of their stay, everyone packed their things and readied themselves to leave Sherwood village. Two of the newer members were fighting over something stupid, but Carlos De Vil – who joined two months ago – stopped them from doing any substantial damage to one another.

Drew was one of the first to be ready. She did not have much to pack, anyway. Gil shot a secretive glance at her, which she caught. At that moment, Gil knew she wasn't going to betray him to Uma, and relief washed over him. He averted his eyes when Uma approached her, a bag of supplies in her hand.

"Do me a favor," she said, "and have your sister and cousin eat these. Once you're done, join me in Taymont." What plans Uma had for the Tremaine children, nobody knew. Carlos theorized she'd take control over the Tremaine region this way, without shaking up the existing power structure. But, since this was just a theory, he did not speak of it. And maybe, in the long run, the solution to her curse could be in the Tremaine region after all.

Drew took the supplies – half of which were probably apples – and nodded at Uma. "With pleasure, captain." Drew marched off, towards the marketplace. That was where she was staying, and that was where she would find a horse that would safely bring her to her family. It was the last time Gil saw her.

It took another half an hour before the others were finished and ready to leave Sherwood Village behind. What came next was anybody's guess. Uma was not known for sharing her plans with the crew. She just rode her horse, Harry next to her on his own steed, while the others followed her on foot.

Since the solution could not be found near the Great Wall, she moved on from the shores to the center of Auradon. She would be traveling to the southeast, to the next not-quite-big city on her map: Taymont. It wasn't as nearby as other not-quite-big cities, but there was a higher probability of finding something there, if only because the alliance allegedly had given a handful of its member an address there. With a bit of luck, one of them was a master sorcerer and could help her with her quest.

Uma shook her head. She did not like to fantasize too much – she did not want to have too high expectations. That way, she would not be furious if they didn't find anything.

That was for the future. First, she needed to keep things in place here.

Uma took Jack apart while Harry watched the crew. Once out of view of the others, Uma cast her spell. It was long and complex and if it failed, she did not want the believers to see it. Yet, she'd cast it so many times before, she was convinced of her abilities to do it right the first time around.

Jack shuddered briefly and after the process, blinked and shook his head. When he lay his eyes upon her, that was when he was ensnared. Uma grinned wickedly, for she could not get enough of the look on their faces. He was now unequivocally tied to her. It was not love or adoration, but sheer duty she instilled in him. Uma was his master, and he would serve her. A strong spell, not easily broken, working for an extended period of time and even when master and servants were worlds apart.

Since it was so complicated, she was often drained after casting the spell. She managed not to show this, but this side effect was the reason she relied upon apples to keep most of her crew in check. For these folk she left behind, she would gladly cast the spell to force loyalty on them.

She left Jack in charge of Sherwood Village and then, with her crew, Uma left the city entirely and started the days-long trek to Taymont.


	4. Surprises

**(I don't own any of the lyrics)**

* * *

 _Our hope feels like a foreign land_

 _A land not safe from torment_

 _The promises of no man's land_

 _We'll feel the sons and daughters_

 _Who fear to cross the borders_

 _The promises of no man's land_

 **Promises of no man's land (Blaudzun)**

* * *

One week could do wonders.

Since Jafar attacked, life had become quiet again. They had started to rebuild the castle again, temporarily relocating some families and refugees to the nearby villages. If all went well, these people would stay there, freeing up space for those who stayed at the castle.

Ben was feeling a whole lot better, too. As Mal had predicted, his doubting their decision-making had been caused by the exhaustion and the stress from the siege. Still, he could remember that night perfectly, and especially something Mal had said to him.

You almost sound like my mother.

It wasn't per se that she said it that bothered him, but more what these words implied. Ben had always strived to be like his parents, to be a voice of reason. He always tried to do good in Auradon and wished nothing but the best for its citizens. His methods were a means to an end, Philip always told him. The siege could only ever end one way, and that was with a peaceful agreement. Ben hated it that he thought they should have done something else, to show that even after six months, they still had a strong army at their disposal (which wasn't true).

He was well-aware the world wasn't divided into 'good' and 'evil', or 'white' and 'black'. Most people existed in a large gray area in which they were both good and evil, favoring one extreme over the other. Mal was a good example of a person dwelling in the gray area. Ben suspected he was moving from the light to the gray, and he didn't mind – as long as he did not go too far as to come in touch with the darkness of evil.

Ben shook his head. He wasn't going to allow his mind to wander off and let it think of bad things anymore. And to take his mind off the matters, he was going to pay extra attention during the council meeting.

Only four chairs were filled. There was Ben, who led the meeting. There was Doug, representative of the people. There were Lilo and Alice. The councils who couldn't make it were Lonnie and Hiroki. Lonnie was still on the Northern Wei – she had sent a message she was returning – and Hiroki had gone to Taymont two days ago, to check up on some people. His nimble body and youth would deter anyone from looking for the alliance; a thirteen-year-old couldn't possibly know all the necessary information to bring the alliance down.

Despite missing two members, the meeting continued as planned. Two hours and a half they discussed the castle and its condition; the capacity the castle had; how to set up a straight connection between the castle and Neverland; what to do with the healed patients that did not want to leave; and how to possibly renovate the castle to get a higher capacity and provide more comfort to the guests.

At long last, they had made their final statements and agreed on most of the topics. Ben shook Alice and Lilo's hands before they left – they only saw each other once a week. The ladies made their way to the door, while Doug stayed behind with Ben.

As soon as Lilo and Alice walked out of the door, both Evie and Mal entered the throne room, talking about something irrelevant. They stood by their respective boyfriends when Evie turned to Bed.

"Can we talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Ben nodded. "Of course." He did not have any other major job to do for today, and he always made time for his friends. Neither he nor Mal knew what Doug and Evie were going to ask them.

The couple briefly glanced at each other and then watched Ben and Mal again. Doug cleared his throat. "We're going to move out."

For a moment, the world seemed to have stopped.

"You're leaving," Mal said, dumbfounded, no other thought crossing her mind. She was completely struck unaware by this news, but she should have seen this coming. Evie had talked about moving away from the castle with Doug before, but she had thought those were plans for a far-off future.

Evie nodded. "We are." She only had eyes for Mal and looked at her as if to apologize to her best friend for keeping this a secret from her.

"We would like to start a life together," Doug said. "Start over. No heroes or villains… just me and Evie."

"Are you sure about this?" Ben asked him. He had folded his arms and spoke to him not in a stern way, but more out of curiosity and concern.

"We are." Doug nodded his head and breathed deeply. "There's a lot of good kids in the infirmary. Miles will take over from me. But you can still call us when an emergency arises."

That seemed to comfort Ben a little because he too nodded and had nothing else to say about the situation. Mal, however, wasn't done.

"Where are you going?" The question was directed to Evie.

"Sirk," she answered, "A small city in the Charmington region." That had to be at least a hundred miles from this castle. It wouldn't be hard to visit her, but the distance was still daunting and if something happened to them, Mal wouldn't be able to reach them as quickly as she could do at this moment.

"When are you leaving?" was the follow-up question.

"If everything goes according to plan, we'll leave in two days," Doug answered, and Evie nodded as a confirmation. Two days to spend with my best friend before she leaves.

Ben reached for Doug's hand and shook it. "You have my full support," he said. They soon let go and hugged each other. Mal turned Evie and they fell into each other's arms. The held on tight, neither of them ready to let go so soon yet.

At long last, they broke the hug and stared at each other. They needn't say anything to understand each other perfectly: they would miss each other, despite the ability to see each other frequently, with the help of Mal's magic and Evie's magic mirror.

"I can bring you there."

"Mal—"

"It's the least I can do." It would also be a great opportunity to see where Evie was going to live for the next couple of years. And despite an inexplicable desire to keep Mal from the house – an extreme view of the situation by Mal – Evie eventually smiled and nodded.

"Okay." Neither of them tried to think too much about the distance that was going to separate them and thought more about the great times they would have at Evie's new home. they could always call, see each other through the magic mirror. They could still have adventures together; the one thing that would change, were the miles separating them from each other.

With the news shared and with opinions and blessings given, the four were ready to leave the throne room behind and go do other things.

A bright light blinded them, blocked their way to the exit. The four held their hands in front of their eyes to shield them from the light. Once it stopped, they could safely see what just had happened.

Hiroki, the councilman who couldn't make the meeting because he was in Taymont, stood where the light had been. He stood there unsteadily, only barely able to stand. He still tried, despite the bruises and the bloody wounds. In his hand, he held the emergency button Mal had designed – when in danger, press it and you'll be brought to the place where you want to be the most.

Hiroki dropped the emergency button and fell to the ground, on his stomach.

Doug immediately rushed to his side, turning him so his fellow councilman lay on his back and in a somewhat comfortable position. Evie took the walkie-talkie at her side (she'd been keeping it for Doug) and phoned the infirmary.

"Miles? This is Evie. Come to the throne room, bring a stretcher and painkillers. Hiroki's injured." She didn't say more than this – Miles was a smart enough kid to know the situation was urgent. If it were Doug who called the infirmary, he would have given a clearer view of Hiroki's injuries. But Evie hadn't grown that good at passing this information on since she never really had any opportunities to practice. Her job was to brew potions and prepare painkillers – she didn't usually get into direct contact with the patients.

"Help's on the way," Evie announced and Doug nodded to himself.

Now they had a clearer view of Hiroki, it looked even worse than from a distance. Mal imagined someone had taken a baseball bat and had hit Hiroki full in the face two or three times. His left eye was swollen up. The victim breathed loudly and panted, his breath shuddering and irregular. At least he was still awake, and a valuable source of information.

"What happened?" Doug asked Hiroki.

"They were everywhere…" Hiroki took ragged breaths in between sentences. "Harassed people. Taymont. I fought back, but—" The boy hissed and grabbed his stomach with one hand, a pained expression on his face. Doug promptly removed the vest and shirt Hiroki was wearing. The only thing of interest was a large blue bruise. If that was any indication, they must have also hit him in other places, too. Which raised the question: how much longer could Hiroki stay awake?

"Who were they?" Doug asked.

The boy opened his eyes again, looking up, possibly trying to remember who he had seen.

"There was… a knight."

"A knight?" Ben asked, dumbfounded. He couldn't be serious, right? Hiroki seemed convinced.

"Yeah. And red curly hair… a pirate – no… yes, a pirate. Just one."

"He has a lot of injuries in the face," Evie said. "He could have a concussion." Mal wouldn't voice it, but she had thought the same. What Hiroki said did not make sense in the slightest. / The knights and their families had fallen prey to Madam Mim and haven't been seen since she arrived in the area and Merlin left. Pirates were generally only found in the east of Auradon, on the coast of the East Riding and Towering Heights region as well as the west side of Neverland. The only thing that makes even a sliver of sense was a person with red, curly hair.

"Anyone else?" Doug asked.

"Carlos…" Hiroki said, as an afterthought. "Carlos…" Tensions rose, and Ben looked at Mal and Evie. They had not expected to hear this but weren't surprised either.

"Are you sure?" Doug asked on behalf of the group. Hiroki gulped.

"I dunno. I just—" Hiroki grabbed his side and groaned, closing his eyes. A few seconds later, his body went limp and his breath became more regular.

The door opened and the red-haired assistant and another assistant rushed into the room with a stretcher and went straight up to Doug and the unconscious councilman.

"Thanks for coming, Miles," Doug told the red-haired assistant. Together, they moved Hiroki on the stretcher. Miles handed the painkillers to Doug and then picked up the stretcher with the other assistant. They carried Hiroki to the infirmary with Doug walking at his side, holding the now useless painkillers in his hand. Ben, Evie, and Mal watched them leave up until the moment the four had left the throne room.

"Maybe Carlos wasn't involved," Ben said, as to comfort the girls about their possible worries. "He hasn't been sighted in months. Last time he showed his face, he was at the Great Wall."

"He could've traveled around," Evie said, blowing holes in that theory.

"He was on the right track," Ben continued. "He may be laying low, improving his life."

"We don't know that," Mal said, looking at Ben. Carlos stuck around only because he learned dogs weren't so bad, and even then he only had overcome his fear for dogs and stayed for protection against Jay or any other villains who would try to kill him for 'switching sides'. He helped take out some competition (Maleficent) and left the watchful eye of the alliance at the first chance he got. Helping out did not equal 'good'. "He could still be evil."

"We would've heard from him if he was," Evie said, and Mal nodded. Evie was right – if Carlos were still evil, he would have made a big point out of it to let everyone know he was still evil, to throw everyone off of his back who might have otherwise killed him for treason.

Maybe Carlos had been making up his mind all this time. After long contemplation, he could've finally decided evil was the way to go and joined up with the raiders of Taymont, maybe even leading them.

Until they could confront Carlos, they would not know what he was doing or the reasons behind his behavior. Or whether he truly was at Taymont or Hiroki just mistook him for some other guy with white hair. It could happen.

"Taymont's not far from Wickney," Ben said when neither of the girls spoke up, "We have to make sure our people are safe." Wickney, in close proximity of Taymont, was a town in the Charmington region and a safe town for the alliance. It was one of the locations in Auradon where refugees lived, who did not want to stay in Neverland nor in the castle. This was a good method of relocating allies or frightened people, as well as assisting and protecting them.

Mal nodded. They had no idea what had happened in Taymont, but whatever the case, it could also happen in Wickney. "I'll see if I can contact someone there, tell them what might come."

"I'll go to the infirmary," Evie said when Mal was done talking. "Doug may need some help with Hiroki."

"I'll get in touch with Taymont," Ben said, silently agreeing with the plans of the two former evil girls. "It's best to know what's going on there."

They walked out of the throne room and went their separate ways to do what they just mentioned they'd do. The heavy wooden door slammed closed, its sound echoing through the hallways.


	5. Revenge

**Mirami02:** _Only when it is necessary for the plot. Thanks for the review!_

 **Mustang52:** _Well... Ben and Mal's relationship is complicated. (it will be addressed later). And don't worry, he's sending some people to check out what the trouble was about. Thanks for the review!_

 **(P.S. I do not own the lyrics)**

* * *

 _One dance – give me one dance with the devil_

 _Don't doubt – there is no room here for doubting_

 _I'd rather run straight to hell than walk into heaven_

 **Goud (Bazart; translated from Dutch)**

* * *

One week ago, Jay was granted his freedom to ensure a truce between two parties – Jafar, and the resistance. Jay hadn't known about this until he and his father had returned home, the palace of the sultan. Jafar had explained what he had promised and told his son to uphold that promise as well. Needless, Jay did not take this well.

"They locked me up!" Jay had yelled in a furious and disrespectful tone, "They treated me like a dog! And you're asking me to just let it slide."

"I'm asking you not to get involved," Jafar had answered calmly, "You are not to approach the resistance and any of its affiliates with harmful intent."

They had argued about this almost every single day. One day, Jay was caught trying to leave the palace with some magical artifacts that were better off locked away, but which Jay had wanted to use on the alliance. The guards brought him to his father, they fought again and in the end, Jafar saw no other option but to ground his irresponsible son.

"A vow is a vow," his father had said, "and I will not see my son break a vow I made."

That was two days ago. Now, Jay spent his time pacing up and down his room. He wasn't missing much – everything he needed was there. He had a bed, some couches, a large television hanging on the wall. But there were guards at his door and Jafar had made sure his son wouldn't escape via the balcony with a view of the courtyard – a place where four other guards marched around. Four times a day, he would get a nice meal.

While this condition wasn't half bad, Jay resented his father for locking him up. All those years, he was allowed to travel wherever he wanted to go. This wasn't just imprisonment, but according to Jay, a punishment of the worst kind. Still, he couldn't help but respect his father in a way that all children respect their fathers, despite the decisions he was forced to make.

It was the alliance. They had backed his father in a corner, somehow, and that's why his father had to give up fighting that group of goody-two-shoes. That's why his father felt the need to lock him up, because 'a vow is a vow' or whatever.

The walls of the palace weren't too thick, but they weren't exactly thin either. Some sounds just came through, and sometimes Jay could hear what the guards were talking about if he stood close to the door or the wall. This time, it wasn't the guards who were talking, and Jay sat in the middle of his room on a couch.

"Do you know who I am?" An enraged female voice shouted, loud enough that Jay could hear it. "Let me through, or I'll swear you're gonna regret that I ever had to behold those stupid faces of yours!"

Jay groaned audibly. Did she have to come? He didn't feel like seeing her today, but on the other hand, she was the first person that had come to visit him. For a moment, he contemplated what would happen if he didn't let her in.

Though two guards stood outside at his door, it was never locked. Jay still had the liberty of opening the door, if he wanted to, but he couldn't just leave the room. In the same vein, he could also refuse guests, such as the furious girl hammering on the door.

"Jay, it's me. Just let me in already."

Jay shook his head. He didn't need this right now. But he did not want those poor guards outside to be in her presence as she grew exponentially more irritated if he didn't let her in. This either could be a friendly visit or a big mistake. He walked to the door nonetheless and opened it.

In the opening stood a young girl, about his age, with bright red hair. She stood there confidently, a smirk on her face – Jay hated that smirk – and her arms folded over each. Once the door had opened, she strutted into his room. Jay let the door slam behind her and sat back down on the couch while she spoke.

"I heard rumors that the prince of Agrabah had been grounded," the girl said with a heavy Agrabahian accent. "And I just had to see that for myself. I mean, look at you, sitting there like a hurt puppy. What's crawled up your ass?"

"What do you want, Iara?" He barely looked her in the eye and tried to convey as much disinterest as he could muster through his voice and tone. Hopefully, she'd take the hint. Even if she does, she's going to ignore it anyway.

"We need to talk," Iara said. "First of, you need to stop sulking and do something about your… predicament." She put the emphasis on the last word, glancing briefly at the door while she looked around the room as if looking for something specific.

"As if I hadn't thought about that," Jay retorted, arms folded. Of course, he'd tried to get out, but he couldn't climb over the railing of the balcony, and the guards quickly overpowered him if he tried to escape through the door. And he didn't have any heavy tools here that could help him break out a wall.

"Yeah, I heard," Iara said bluntly, sitting next to him on the couch. "It just can't seem to stick. But that's not the predicament I needed to talk to you about." That was more enough for Jay to perk up and glare at her.

"Well, please, do tell me, how do I do this?" Jay said sarcastically, leaning forward and turning his head to her. "My father swore on the Hangman's Tree not to attack them, and that extends to me." And now he's brought it up, he found himself hating his father's decision all over again. /

Iara frowned amusingly, not at all surprised by Jay's surrendering to this idea. "And that's a problem?"

"Yes, it is!" He stood up from the seat, while Iara remained seated. Even standing, he was at least one head taller than the girl in front of him. "How can I get my revenge? I'm stuck here, and there is nothing else I could do from out here!"

She laughed loudly when he was done talking. Of course she wouldn't take him seriously. Jay rolled his eyes and turned away from her, walking to the other side of the room.

"Anything you'd like to share?"

Iara turned her head so she could look Jay in the eyes. She was still amused by his torment, or so it seemed. "You really can't see the bigger picture here, can you?"

Jay shrugged, annoyed. "Let's assume I don't."

"Alright, then!" Iara jumped up from the couch and turned her full body to him. The glint in her eyes meant she had already concocted some grand scheme – it was only a question of whether Jay was going to agree to it or not.

"Remember when our parents first got here? They were spared, but there was a whole lot of infighting about the size of territories at the other side of that wall."

"As long as they settled it without taking from Maleficent, it was okay," Jay said. He remembered the story; his father had told him numerous. The villains on the other side of the Great Wall couldn't agree on the size of their territories and fought for it until it was finally decided. Grudges were formed, but the sense of villainy kept them from tearing each other apart as time passed and the borders became semi-permanent. The moral was always: we're better than them because we took what was ours and didn't fight over it.

Iara smirked knowingly. "Some say there's still a war going on. Power imbalance at the resistance's part, though they only rule Maleficent's former territory. But there are rumors. Ursula's daughter is walking the earth."

"Really?" After spending six months in a cell, he wasn't caught up with the latest news anymore. This was the first time anyone told him the Sea Witch's daughter had crawled ashore and is walking around in Auradon. Iara nodded.

"The rumors are true. She's just traveling around with a pirate, taking command of cities and then leaving for whatever reason. Nobody knows why, but they say Ursula wants to rule some land, too."

Jay folded his arms, watching her suspiciously. This wasn't going anywhere. "Nice story and all, but what does this have to do with me?"

"Foolish boy! It has everything to do with you!" She finally walked towards him, an evil grin on her face, coming dangerously close. "Find that girl. Convince them the resistance is an immediate threat and who knows, maybe you've got some pirates doing the dirty work for you. You can claim victory when those traitors are crawling on the ground and begging for mercy."

"There's just one problem." Jay moved away from her again but kept his eyes on her red hair. "Will they win?" he didn't want to contract losers. He did not want to be associated with a bunch of losers, should that be what would happen.

"They have magic on their side," Iara said, "and she can change someone's allegiance in an instant. She's more than capable." The little smirk on her face convinced Jay of her sincerity – despite being a troublemaker, she wasn't an excellent liar.

"Get me out of here, Iara," Jay told her. "And maybe you'll get a front row seat to the carnage."

"I'll distract him," Iara promised, looking him right in his eyes. "You will leave. And someone will need to be punished for letting you go."

Jay's eyes widened and he furrowed his brow in concern. "You would risk that much?" For the first time since long, he was afraid in her place.

"Why wouldn't I?" Iara said truthfully. "You'd do the same for me. And if you succeed, no doubt you'll help me find my brother so I can torture him."

Jay could already feel what she wanted to add: for abandoning us. Ianto, her twin brother, was a quiet and shy kid. One day, he just left. They only knew for certain he had reached the Great Wall, but that was the last they had heard from him. With a bit of luck, he was still alive and Iara could have her revenge for ditching his responsibilities. While she was a selfish person, she hated it her brother so selfishly left.

Iara walked to the door. One short moment, Jay wondered whether the guards outside had heard anything.

"Let me know when you're ready," Jay told her. She nodded once.

"Get on the balcony," she said in response. "I'll meet you there." That was the last she said to him before opening the door and leaving him. Once again, he was alone in the room and though the visit wasn't what he had expected, he found himself wanting more human contact again. He found himself wanting to stay close to Iara. He'd never longer for her like that.

He obeyed her and walked onto the balcony, enjoying the view he knew so well. The courtyard beneath him, the mountains dead ahead and there, in the distance and out of view, lay the Great Wall. He would be crossing it again, he told himself. He would be crossing it today.

So he waited patiently, figuring out what to say to Ursula's daughter that would make her want to help him. No matter when or where he would find them, he would see them in person and he would steer them towards Mal's resistance and would practice his revenge for him. He would be sitting back, watching in the front seat. When the time was, there, he would let Mal and her new friends know it was him, and that they got what they deserved.

Not half an hour later, Iara came flying to the balcony on the flying carpet. It seemed more than happy to do what it was designed for. Iara invited Jay on the carpet with a cheerful. "Well, what are you waiting for, you airhead?"

Jay climbed on the carpet and just as the two guards came running into the room, Iara and Jay flew off together. The wind blew in their faces and for the first time in six months, Jay felt alive again. He couldn't suppress a childish shout in the open, signaling their position and letting everyone know how much he enjoyed himself up there. Even Iara just smiled out of joy this time.

After what seemed like an eternity and lasted too shortly, Jay and Iara touched down at the Auradonian side of the wall. Jay had no idea who's territory he was in, but he had made it to the other side of the Great Wall. He set foot on the grass plains, and looked to his right and left. Behind him, the three-floor stone wall stretched farther than he could see. On his right, a forest was growing and on his left, there were the plains and in the distance, a village. An outpost. They'd have horses there, and food, and a nice room.

He turned around to help Iara of the carpet, but she hadn't moved since he climbed off of it. This irked him. She would really just turn around and return to Agrabah after what she'd done?

"Join me." With him, she'd be safe. There was no telling what Iago would do to his daughter, but Jafar would already be furious enough for stealing the carpet and allowing his son to do the one thing Jafar promised he wouldn't be doing anymore. Her treason would not be taken lightly.

Iara shook her head. "The carpet needs to go home," she said. And then, with confidence added: "I'll see you when the resistance is dead. Who knows, maybe I'll come to you. The region will need a new leadership."

Jay had to admit he hadn't thought that far ahead, but now that she mentioned it, that would be nice. Settling in with control over a big region. A good start to his villainous career. He couldn't stay in the shadow of his father all of his life. There have been instances of children doing away with their villainous parents so they could rule themselves. Jay hadn't considered before, but now it was something to seriously consider.

"Stay safe," Iara said. The carpet flew higher and higher and then out of sight. Jay only turned around when he couldn't see her anymore and set off towards the village in the distance, while the sun set behind him.


	6. Sirk

_Whatever it takes_

 _Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins_

 _I do whatever it takes_

 _Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains_

 _Whatever it takes_

 **Whatever it takes (Imagine Dragons)**

* * *

Two days had passed. Hiroki was still recovering, but he was doing well – well enough that Doug was able to let go of his duties and finally move away with Evie.

That day, Doug and Evie had said their goodbyes to their friends. Doug even went to see Audrey one last time. He had treated her after the battle six months ago, and as far as he was concerned, they were still good acquaintances. Doug officially appointed Miles as the new Head Doctor in the castle, and the young doctor vowed to make Doug proud.

They had said goodbye to everyone except for Mal. The offer still stood, and Mal was going to give them a lift to their new house in the charming little town of Sirk. It was only half a day away on horseback, but with the cold and a breeze from the north, it seemed better to go via magic.

The sun was at its highest point when Mal, Evie, and Doug arrived. Mal had transported them in front of their house. It was a two-story terraced house in the middle of a medium-width cobblestone street, with a window looking over the street. It wasn't extremely big, but it was enough for Doug and Evie, who had fallen in love with the house when they saw it. It has its charm, Evie said when Mal had asked her why she picked that particular house to be her home.

Sirk could almost be called a small city, housing about a thousand to three thousand people, among which a dozen supporters of the alliance. They wouldn't know Doug and Evie, and the duo would not know them – sometimes, the best defense from danger was anonymity.

"Home," Doug said, his breath visible, looking up at the house. Evie nodded in agreement, and Mal couldn't help but smile. Now the time was there to say goodbye to a close friend, she was unable to feel sad. This was Evie's will, and Mal was genuinely happy for her friend.

Mal shook Doug's hand as a way of saying goodbye and then embraced Evie. They enjoyed every moment of their last physical hug for a long time.

"You're going to be happy here," Mal said, "I know you will." Evie pulled away from her and smiled at her best friend lovingly.

"You'll be fine," Evie responded. "Stay true to yourself."

Mal nodded. She had already made that promise to Evie, and now there was all the more reason to keep it. Mal's true self did stumble upon a lot of criticism and cynicism from both villains and heroes, in a world that didn't seem to understand that the world wasn't split in black and white.

Mal pulled back out of the hug and someone bumped into her. Mal and Evie turned their heads to the person.

"How rude," Evie said disapprovingly, her arms crossed, and Mal nodded in agreement. The person was wearing a hoodie, almost as if to conceal their identity. When she turned a corner, her curly red hair came from underneath the hood.

Curly hair, unruly red hair, wild red hair. Just like Hiroki had described.

Sirk wasn't too far a stretch from Taymont, at about the same distance from the bigger city as Wickney was. With the bigger presence of the alliance in Wickney, the crew of hooligans – or whatever they were – must have decided to move on to their next best target.

Then again, Mal had been overthinking everything Hiroki had said, even going as far as looking up who was supposedly at which location about four months ago. The results hadn't been fruitful, but at least she learned that Merlin wasn't the only one who could escape the carnage at Camelot and that pirates did cross the ocean to come over to Auradon. There were no records of a girl with wild red hair being especially unruly, with the exception of Merida, but she hasn't been sighted in years. It wouldn't be surprising if she was six feet under already. Either way, Mal could be grasping at straws. Maybe this random person was not at all involved and she assumed they were.

But still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon, and that the redhead has something to do with that.

"Mal?" Evie spoke up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Mal had been staring at the person and then the corner for too long. Each second wasted was a second that she had lost them. Time to make a decision: stay or follow that person.

"We're going to find out." She started moving away from the house, hoping to shadow the redhead. In turn, Evie followed her. Doug stayed behind – Mal could only hear one pair of footsteps behind her. It was a comforting idea, having Evie around for this operation. Two pairs of eyes saw more than one.

They stayed at a considerable distance, making their way to the biggest city square. Once they entered the square, Evie and Mal stayed at the border, choosing for the easy and quick escape route, staying out of sight behind a pile of crates. Still, from their position, they had a clear view of the square through the cracks and the small space between the crates and the wall of the house it was standing close to. The market was already closing, the last farmers clearing their stands for today. There weren't a lot of Sirkfolk on the square, and most of those were heading home.

Besides the Sirkfolk, there were more people in hoodies and robes, trying to conceal their true identities to the general public. One of these cloaked figures turned his head. He looked around, possibly checking for any threats, but missed Evie and Mal completely. Doing this, he had exposed his face to the girls.

Evie gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her hand. Mal only sighed sadly. There was always this possibility, wasn't there?

"So Hiroki was right…" Evie said, and Mal nodded.

"Old habits are hard to change." That particular person had indeed been Carlos. From the looks of it, it seemed he had willingly joined this group of hooligans or however they identified themselves. Reforming was never easy, especially when you weren't too keen on changing in the first place.

Before the two could properly process this new information, the main event had started.

One of these cloaked figures walked on the steps of the city hall, at the other side of the square, and threw off the cloak. It revealed a young woman with long, braided black hair with aquamarine streaks. She looks familiar, Mal thought, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and it frustrated her to no end. Where did she know her from?

The girl drew her sword and hit an iron pole that bore the city flag with it. The entire square went quiet and everyone turned their heads to the person who caused the fuss and that loud noise.

"Attention, Sirk!" She thrust her sword in the sky, not taking her eyes off of the citizens on the square. "From this day forward, I will rule you." All around, cloaked figures similar to her reached for something underneath their disguises – possibly their weapons. The citizens shared knowing and more often confused looks with each other.

The hooligans dumped their cloaks and disguises and aimed their weapons and the Sirkfolk. Some people panicked and tried to run to the nearest exit, but they were all blocked by the hooligans. Carlos stood to the side, ready to strike anyone – which struck Mal as odd. Sure, he's always been a little reckless and didn't care for the citizens of Auradon that much, but he never went as far as trying to kill people who were innocent and whom he'd usually ignore. This summer's bomb didn't count, since Carlos had tried to take the Fairy Godmother's wand, with no intention of purposely hurting the people around her.

Hiroki hadn't just been right about Carlos. A young pirate with a hook for a right hand and joined Uma on the stairs, proud and an insane smile on his lips. The girl with the wild red hair held a longbow and plucked an arrow from the quiver on her back. The knight stood next to her, but he looked rather pathetic. The only items that helped identify him as a knight were his dull longsword, some chainmail covering his torso and a helmet.

"I am Uma, daughter of Ursula!" the girl with the aquamarine hair proudly announced, "And you will show me respect!"

"Go back to the sea!" A bold farmer shouted. "You have no business on dry land!" Sirk was about ten miles from the sea, and about twelve miles away from the nearest port.

Mal frowned upon learning the leader's identity and found herself agreeing with the farmer. She had no business on dry land. Moreover, she shouldn't be on dry land at all.

Uma's wicked grin twitched and turned into an evil sneer, pointing out the farmer in the crowd with her sword. "You're going to wish you hadn't said that."

An arrow flew through the air and pierced itself in the man's throat. Carlos reloaded his crossbow nonchalantly. Around him, people screamed and gasped. One man wanted to help his friend, but a blond teenager – possibly belonging to Uma's hooligans – held him back.

The old Mal would have enjoyed herself and watched how Uma terrorized the people. She may have even joined in on the fun. But the new Mal couldn't stand the sight of innocent people getting her. It even was a question whether she'd ever forgive Carlos for his horrific deed. She had no choice in the matter someone needed to do something, and it looked like it was up to Mal to step in and get those people to safety.

"You need to get Doug out of town," Mal told Evie, an urgent tone in her voice. The daughter of the Evil Queen nodded.

"Good luck here," she said before running off to bring Doug to safety. There was an emergency protocol which said that, in case of an emergency, a transporter would take them back to Neverland.

Mal stayed behind. Someone had to save those people. Seeing the circle the hooligans had made around these people, a crazy idea formed inside her head. One of those ideas that just might work, but of which she wasn't sure whether it was such a good idea. But the people were frightened, and there was no telling what Uma was going to do. Mal needed to act.

In a bold move, Mal ran to the middle of the square, reciting the first spell in her mind. Two arrows missed, and they moved closer. But Mal was where she needed to be before they could take two steps. She threw one hand into the air.

A large, purple dome appeared, surrounding the Sirkfolk in the middle and just closing before anyone could slip under the closing force field. The hooligans bashed the force field with their swords, bats, and arrows, but nothing worked. Inside, three older men tackled the blond boy that was holding their friend back. Within seconds, that boy lay on the ground, unconscious, with a nasty black eye and some blood upon his face.

The second spell had been finished by the time the three men retreated. Mal pointed with her other hand in front of her. A swirling circle of light appeared – a portal, through which the green meadows of Neverland could be seen.

"Go!" Mal shouted. They did not care about the color of her hair, and the evil it implied, and they instead were grateful to step through the portal to safety. They did not even care they were trading the mainland for an island. Soon a bottleneck was created, which slowed down the process of getting out, but at least everyone was focused on getting away.

The more hooligans tried to break the barrier, Mal stood tall and did not flinch. It was hard to keep up both – it was even harder to cast two spells and hold them at the same time –, but so far she managed pretty well. When about half of the Sirkfolk had left the dome, Mal took the liberty to look around.

Most faces glared, looking daggers at her, shouting things that were lost. Carlos did not glare, but the look in his eyes did let her know how disappointed he was in her. Uma stayed on top of the stairs of the city hall and watched intensively what happened. The pirate did not leave her side. They seemed like the perfect power couple. While she looked at the event with a calculated look, he had that glint of insanity in his eyes.

But even the strongest of magic users had a limit, and so did Mal. The dome was shrinking and suffering from the emphasis Mal put on keeping the portal open so everyone who was left could at least get to safety. Her power was draining and her energy was fading away. Hunger grew and she had no idea how long she could continue to stand here without collapsing.

But there were few people left. Just another ten to twenty people, excluding herself, and that would be all. But the blond hooligan inside the dome was waking up. On top of that, the portal was also shrinking, and flickering dangerously. There was no time to think.

"Run," Mal said. The people panicked, but continued their way, only slightly faster than before, the bottleneck still persistent.

She dropped the arm and the dome fell apart. Relief washed over Mal, not having to hold up such a large structure anymore, sunlight and cold and noise from all around reaching her again. With the relief came one small burst of energy, which she directed outwards.

It wasn't something she had ever tried before. You can imagine how glad she was it worked.

A purple shock wave came from her and spread across the square. The Earth rumbled and the hooligans either fell backward or forward. The pirate lost his balance, while Uma remained on her feet. Mal could feel it, too, and she struggled not to fall over as well.

But she stood. And when she opened her eyes, the last citizen of Sirk fled through the portal to Neverland and the hooligans were just starting to get up again, including the guy that had passively held one of the farmers back.

Mal dropped the other arm and let the portal close, finally meeting the eyes of Uma without the force field between them. The daughter of Maleficent remembered meeting Uma, a long time ago. Her tentacles and her mother's warning had prevented Uma from leaving the water. But there she stood, with human legs, proclaiming this city was hers to rule.

Before Uma could scream to "get her!", Mal already recited the teleportation spell inside her head and thought of home – more specifically, the throne room. Mal shot one last glare in Uma's direction before disappearing in front of her and reappearing in the throne room.

Mal fell to her knees, exhausted and hungry beyond belief. She took deep breaths, which eventually became panting. I did it. It wasn't her best plan, but it had worked. Now, she was convinced she'd never attempt doing that again. Casting two spells so closely together and holding them for even a little while drained her too much to be a good strategy.

"Mal!" The girl turned her head. Ben had been sitting on the steps of the throne room. Along with this room being the council's meeting room, Ben had claimed this room as his office. It was calm and silent – no wonder he liked it so much. He watched her in concern; this was not how she was supposed to return to the castle. "What happened?"

Mal did not hesitate. "Uma did."


	7. Ways to be wicked

**Mustang52:** _Yeah, she really did her best. Nobody else was going to do it. Thanks for reviewing!_

* * *

 _All my friends are heathens, take it slow_

 _Wait for them to ask you who you know_

 _Please don't make any sudden moves_

 _You don't know the half of the abuse_

 **Heathens (Twenty-One Pilots)**

* * *

Uma's crew lit a bonfire in the middle of Sirk's square as the sun set. They had gathered materials from the market stands which had been abandoned by their owners and cleared some snow to make it work. They had taken some chairs so they wouldn't always have to stand around. Despite their victory, Mal's appearance and her saving the innocent weighed on them. Tonight was going to be a quiet night.

Gil was sitting apart, holding some snow against his wounds. They would have given him slack if these wounds had been inflicted by Mal. But they weren't, and he'd become the crew's disgrace of the week. That title previously belonged to a young girl with dark hair who thought to have heard an intruder in the middle of the night, but what ultimately turned out to be a crow. He didn't mind and enjoyed to stay away from the others for the time being. His wounds could heal in peace and nobody bothered him.

Everyone was chatting with someone else. Melinda was having a merry conversation with the knight, Archie. Carlos sat somewhere in the back, far out of sight of those close to the fire. Uma and Harry also sat closely together, enjoying some rum together. Other than that, some of the teenagers had to stand guard until at least midnight. Uma did not like surprises coming her way.

One of the guards came running closer. It caught Uma's eye immediately.

"We have an intruder!" the boy said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Conversations came to a halt and all turned their attention to the approaching guards, who brought the intruder closer. The intruder – a young man with long brown hair and a spiteful look in his eyes – did not struggle, allowing the guards to peacefully bring him towards Uma. Uma stood up from her seat and the guards pushed the young man to his knees.

"Who are you," Uma asked him, "and why did you come here?"

The young man lifted his head to look at Uma. "I am Jay, son of Jafar, and I have come to strike a deal with you."

"Well, Jay," Harry said, "you are in no position to make deals with her." Uma possibly had wanted to say the same, but Harry had taken the words right out of her mouth.

"I have information," Jay continued, not intimidated by the pirate, "and enough resources to last you the next two years."

Uma folded her arms and watched the young man, unimpressed. "We don't need your resources. We're good on our own."

Uma was looked at the guards. "Take him away."

"I know what happened today," Jay said as the guards took his arms. Uma lifted a hand, causing the guards to stop. Jay shook the hands off of him before continuing. "I know Mal showed up and denied you access to those people. I wanna bet that wherever you're going next, she'll be there, too. She's not going to allow you to continue this crusade.

"I can offer you information and resources. I'll inform you of Mal's weaknesses. Might give some extra info on the resistance, too, if I'm feeling generous. I'll provide you with the weapons you need for your conquest, anything you ask, it's yours."

Jay waited while Uma and Harry weighed his words. The only noise was the crackling fire and the soft breeze.

"Sounds tempting," Harry said, placing his hook against his chin. "Almost too good to be true."

"He's right," Uma said, nodding in agreement and looking at Jay. She was certain there was a certain price tag connected to those resources and information. "Say we accept the deal. What do you want from us?"

Jay answered without hesitation. "Nothing. I will be grateful if Mal is gone. I only ask her head in exchange for the information."

Uma weighed the options, for it would be her who'd make the final decision. There lay nothing but anger and vengeance in his eyes – not aimed at her, but at Mal. He was telling the truth. Besides, his information may help her find a way to break the curse.

"I believe you," she said eventually. Jay grinned widely, but she did not pay much attention to that. "Now come – we have much to discuss."

Jay followed Uma upon the stairs, into the city hall, footprints trailing behind them in the snow.

* * *

Half an hour later, Carlos waited below the stairs of the city hall. If he guessed correctly – and he was certain he was right - Uma would want someone to validate Jay's information and to confirm he's telling the truth. After she was done with Jay, Uma would call on him. She'd ask Jay enough questions to figure out he and Carlos had been close at one point. But until he was called inside, he waited and watched his comrades.

It was comforting to see these familiar faces around him. He felt at ease in this crowd, with these people he'd trust with his life. It hadn't been easy to find a home, but he did. There wasn't a better place to be home than with them.

Gil still stood aside, talking to one of the newer recruits. They were having a substantial conversation and once again, Carlos couldn't help but notice that Gil looked tired. He hadn't done much – he never did do much – but still, he always managed to look exhausted at the end of the day.

Closer to the fire sat Melinda and Archie, their chairs so close to each other they almost touched each other. He couldn't see their faces, but Carlos imagined they wore big stupid smiles Carlos could picture so easily. The two liked each other, and now they finally were getting together.

A big stupid smile… he'd worn it before. He'd seen it before, on Jane's face whenever he was in the same room as her. Sometimes, Carlos wondered how she was doing, whether she had moved on or if she was still alive. Questions like that haunted him and always seemed to resurface unexpectedly.

But, as always, he was able to shake them off. He shouldn't think about her. Not now. It distracted from the goal everyone in the square was working towards.

At long last, Jay exited the city hall. Carlos turned his head to the sound of the door being opened and caught Jay's gaze. Jay's eyes widened and Carlos grinned mildly. It's been way too long since they've last seen each other, and that look on Jay's face was just priceless.

Slowly, Jay walked down the stairs, only looking away from Carlos to make sure he wouldn't slip. Once he was safely on the ground again, he joined Carlos and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," Jay began, immediately followed by an awkward pause. Carlos did not say a word. "So, I… didn't think I'd see you again."

Carlos merely shrugged. The universe had its ways of bringing old friends back together for a short reunion.

"Where have you been?" Jay then asked. Carlos remembered the son of Jafar had been detained and put in a dungeon below Maleficent castle. News regarding his status as a prisoner hadn't reached Carlos, not even after he… escaped? Broke out? It wasn't important, anyway. To a traveler like Jay, this question was just natural to ask, almost like "how you doin'?".

"Everywhere," Carlos answered, no animosity in his voice. "It took me a while to find my place. Now I'm here." He caught Jay staring at him with a suspicious look in his eyes.

Carlos nodded at him. "What're you looking at?"

Jay shrugged, folding his arms, glancing away from Carlos every once in a while to make the staring less awkward.

"Nothing in particular," Jay answered. But the answer he gave didn't satisfy him. He added: "I was under the impression that you changed."

Changed. Turned good, he must've meant. "You're not wrong." The battlefield came to mind, the archers he'd rallied to continue their attacks, and how he'd put an arrow in one of Jay's limbs. Good times. "But I made up my mind. I can't give it up."

Melinda laughed loudly and heartily. Jay turned his head to the sound. His gaze lingered on her and Archie. At long last, Jay shot Carlos a worried look.

"There's a knight and a girl who could pass for a Bear of Dunbroch. Are you sure you're at your place here?"

"Yes, I am," Carlos said, convinced of his answer. He tilted his head slightly to the right, not looking away from Jay. "Are you?" Jay glanced at Carlos again, that concerned look on his face ever-present. Carlos thought to identify a hint of fear or disbelief in Jay's eyes. Carlos liked that. Jay always thought that people would listen, no matter where it went. It may be true, but with Uma's crew, he did not hold that power. He should feel grateful Uma had even decided to negotiate with him.

"Hey, Carlos!" The two old friends turned their heads. Harry stood in the doorway and glanced down at the two. He needn't say anything else. Carlos cast one last glance at Jay before mounting the stairs and walking inside the building.

City hall was a beautiful building. Once. The years had not been kind and whichever villain was in charge of the territory Sirk belonged to, they did not care about aesthetics or the upkeep of important buildings.

Harry guided Carlos to the mayor's office and he even opened the door. Uma sat on the chair behind the desk as if it was her throne, and the name tag on the desk had been thrown across the room. Harry snuck past Carlos to stand behind Uma, arms folded and his gaze upon the villain kid.

Carlos walked into the room and stayed at a respectable distance from Uma, keeping his hands behind his back. He bowed before his leader.

"You called for me?"

Uma leaned forward and stared at him strictly. She placed her hands on the table. The scene in front of him made him believe what was to follow would be secretive. "I need you to be completely and utterly honest with me. Don't lie."

She emphasized the last two words, sounding more like a threat than a command. Carlos let it slide.

"You have my word," he said. Uma smiled evilly and leaned back in the chair. Carlos relaxed again.

"Jay mentioned you. How well do you know each other?"

Carlos shrugged. "We used to be good friends. That ended when Mal broke away from our group. That's when it went downhill."

"Tell me, can I trust him?"

Carlos thought about it for a couple of seconds, and then he nodded. "Yes. As far as I can see, he has no reason to lie. He wants Mal gone, and can offer you everything he has promised. Money, weaknesses of enemies, and other resources. But you must keep in mind that he is selfish. He is only asking so you can get rid of an enemy for him. However, if I may give my opinion, I believe that with his help, it will be easier to break the curse."

Uma smiled still. The information pleased her, and it pleased Carlos that he had been of assistance.

"That was all," Uma said, glancing with joy at Harry, who returned the same look at her. Carlos bowed again and exited the mayor's office.

Outside, people were still talking to each other. Some of the teenagers had apples in their hands. Archie and Melinda just stood up, walking away with stupid grins on their faces and holding hands. Gil seemed to be doing well, but he still looked sour.

Carlos joined them, grabbing an apple and taking a bite.


	8. Trespasser

**I'm sorry, guys.**

 **I would like to start to extend my sincerest apologies to those readers who came into this story hoping to read the complete finalized version.**

 **I have it all written out. But now, in my fourth week at university, I've come to realize I am struggling to keep up with school and editing these chapters. On top of that, I have come up against a serious case of editor's block and I do not feel like editing any further. I'll still catch the smaller, grammatical errors and such, but I don't have the will nor the energy to edit it fully. Knowing myself, when I'm not working on a project, I'll completely forget to update, hence the many chapters being released at once.**

 **Again, my sincerest apologies, but I just cannot continue this anymore. I might return to the fandom with another massive story (I have several ideas), but I won't be returning to this particular universe.**

 **Beyond this point is largely unedited content. Tread with care, and I please do keep in mind** **that I deeply regret not being able to present to you the polished version.**

 **Thank you for your understanding.**

* * *

 _Can't wait to light the cannonball_

 _Can't face the mirror says it all_

 _Sins of the father make us fall_

 _And I can't do anything about it_

 _Every lesson lost in the past_

 _Pardon me but I don't wanna go back_

 _No I ain't throwing stones_

 _No I ain't throwing stones_

 **Stones (ZiBBZ)**

* * *

"Can we go over this one more time?"

Mal leaned back in the chair and stared at Ben. "Again?"

Ben leaned with his elbows on the table, his hands near his chin. He smiled briefly and looked at her. "Just once more. Then we move on, I promise."

Mal glanced at him once more, annoyance in her eyes. The commotion in Sirk yesterday was still fresh in mind, and rewinding the memory again for Ben wasn't too bad, but not if they have done it over fifty times.

Mal sighed. "Just once more."

Ben sighed in relief, thanking her for wanting to do this once more. Mal couldn't exactly blame Ben for wanting to go through this over and over again. Sirk wasn't official alliance territory, but those dozen or so supporters were enough to convince Ben that their lives were his responsibility. He couldn't help but feel guilty this happened, and with Uma still on the move, he needed to know how she operated to prevent this terror from happening again in an official alliance village.

"There's a girl," Mal started her story. "She bumps into me and continues without speaking."

"A bear of Dunbroch," Ben said. Mal nodded in confirmation. With her wild red hair and her longbow, it wasn't hard to imagine this girl indeed belonged to the Dunbroch family. The question of why she allied with Uma wasn't brought up – she'd have her reasons.

"I was suspicious of her behavior and followed her to the square, where they held the market. Uma's… henchmen were everywhere. They wore dark cloaks, hid their weapons underneath and only revealed themselves when Uma told them to. Carlos killed a guy."

Even if she had seen it happen with her own eyes, and after saying it at least a dozen times, it still felt wrong and strange. He didn't kill, he maimed. There was a difference.

"You don't remember anyone else?" Ben asked her. Mal shook her head.

"Only Carlos, the Bear, a knight, a pirate, and Uma." That wasn't a lot, but it'd do for now. If they figured out the true identity of one, they could guess the identities of those Mal had not immediately recognized.

Mal glanced at the piece of paper lying between his elbows. Those names were written on the paper, so as not to forget them.

"What do you think about the knight," Ben asked her. "Do you think he's an original or a fake?" In other words, was this knight connected to Arthur's court or did he just really like dressing up like a knight to slay his victims? The question had come unannounced, for this was the first time that Ben had asked it. Mal took it as a good sign, that they were truly going to move on from this conversation.

"I couldn't tell," she answered. "I didn't get any opportunity seeing him properly use his sword." She had only seen him bash and blunt it each time he tried to break her forcefield. That wasn't much of an indication of his capacities as a knight.

Ben moved on. "That pirate… nobody's sighted any pirates in years."

"He's no fake," Mal confirmed before Ben could jump to conclusions. Someone like Uma would likely not ally herself with someone pretending to be a pirate.

"Who do you think he is?"

"He could be Captain Hook's kid," Mal said, "or the son of any of the other pirates on Neverland." But with a hook for a hand, Mal assumed this particulate pirate was the offspring of Captain Hook. Especially since his son was lost at sea at the beginning of Ben's reign as the leader of the alliance.

How fitting it was that the son of a pirate ended up with the daughter of the sea witch. That these two found each other wasn't that big of a stretch to believe.

"How about Uma?" Ben then asked her. "How did she get on land?"

"I don't know," Mal said. Before Sirk, she had only met Uma once before. Maleficent had wanted to discuss some matter with Ursula, and they agreed to meet at the shore. Ursula did not touch the land and Maleficent did not go into the water. Uma and Mal had been present as well. Both women had wanted their daughters to learn how to negotiate with a foreign leader.

But Uma and Mal never knew what their mothers discussed. They had distanced themselves and made themselves acquainted with one another. They rather talked about their lived until that point, but Mal let Uma talk about life in the sea. She loved it and life above water and although it always seemed scary for her, she wanted to visit the mainland someday. At one point, Mal had brought up the tentacles.

"Are they permanent?" she'd asked the sea witch's daughter.

"As permanent as a mermaid's tail," she responded. Mal then knew that if Uma wanted to go to the mainland, she would have to turn to her mother or magic to exchange her tentacles for a set of legs – something her mother might never give her out of free will.

Not long after that conversation, Maleficent and Ursula were done negotiating and they took their daughters home again. Half of their lives passed and now Mal and Uma's paths crossed again. Mal had started to believe in fate and destiny since she defeated her mother. It was possible that fate, or the Old Gods, or any other entity was testing her and Ben with Uma's reappearance in their lives. What would happen was anybody's guess, but Mal nevertheless hoped this would be over soon and that it would have a favorable outcome.

Ben sighed and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his eyes. "How can we protect the people from this?" he wondered out loud.

"We'll figure something out," Mal said. She already had some plans in mind. some protection spells, warning everyone about Uma, possible proximity spells tied specifically to Uma so they would know where she is. About protecting the people from Uma, she had no specific idea in mind. but that would come, in time.

"We don't have time," Ben stated, "she's going to move, and we don't know where they're going."

"They'll be staying in Sirk for at least five more days," Mal said, having previous patterns of Uma's trekking in mind. She had gathered this data prior to meeting Ben about this.

"These are my people," Ben continued, "I need to-"

"I know," Mal said. She and Ben looked at each other in mutual understanding, and Ben nodded.

"Maybe we should let the council discuss it first," Mal said, and Ben nodded in agreement. Most members of the council had survived Maleficent's attacks, but they did suffer losses – among them Chad. Unfortunately, that request would have to wait since they were still focusing on Ben's last request to secure the castle and make sure it wasn't going to collapse. They had also sent some people to outlying villages, looking for empty houses where they can possibly provide shelter for some individuals that needed the safe space.

So even if the council was going to help him create a defense plan, they were too busy at the moment to help him. Until then, Ben had brought it upon himself to think of some plan himself, to make sure Uma wouldn't attack the alliance anymore.

Uma… There were so many questions surrounding her and too little answers. Where did the get her legs, and was she happy with them? Where did she find these people – teenagers – and how did she convince them to help her take over villages? Why did she want to conquer villages? Unless Uma was in it for personal gain, it seemed Ursula finally made her move on the mainland.

Ben looked at Mal again. He could see on her face that she wanted to leave the throne room. Normally she'd protest staying too long in here, but staying here and discussing the same topic over and over again must have made her tired enough not to mention it today.

Ben stood up from his seat, and Mal gladly followed suit.

"How's Hiroki doing?" he asked her.

"Evie says he's getting better," Mal responded. It was a welcome change from discussing what Mal had witnessed for the thousandth time. "It will take time, but he will rec-"

She stopped mid-sentence, focusing her attention elsewhere. There was this tingling sensation inside her head – the side-effect of a spell she had cast earlier. It alerted her and the guards at the entrances that someone who isn't a part of the alliance just entered the castle.

For security reasons, Maleficent had put up protective spells and painful charms. Even when Maleficent was a lizard, the spells did not fade. Mal removed the painful charms that would harm the intruders and most of the protection spells - they wouldn't allow the alliance to enter. The one spell Mal left alone was basically a silent alarm that directly alerted Mal and the guards nearest to the entrance the intruder had chosen to use.

"Mal?" Ben asked her, frowning. She had stopped walking and had stared just ahead of her. She turned her head to him.

"Someone's trespassing."

Ben lifted his arm, pointing it at the door. "Lead the way."

Mal didn't like the idea of Ben going to find an intruder, but she'd come with him for his protection. There was no telling who was trying to get to them.

They sped through the castle, Mal up front and Ben following her. They passed several halls and the closer they came to the intruder, the easier it was for Mal to know where exactly they had to go. And so they headed east, to the side of the castle that lay closest to the forest, and not far away from where Jafar had launched his attacks. The intruder must have slipped to a wide enough crack in the wall, which would also have set off the alarms.

They were definitely nearing the intruder. The closer they came, the colder it became and the more noise they could hear coming from that direction. As expected, the guards had beaten them to it and were trying to talk to the intruder, one of them audibly shouting: "Put the bow down!"

Ben and Mal exchanged worried looks and sped up their pace. Mal being on the scene could help the guards to beat the intruder in combat, should need be. Or Ben could always try to talk them out of attacking – which may not work out, so it was best to get Mal to the scene. The cold did not seem to bother them as much anymore.

"Get your hands off of me!" a woman's voice yelled in a strange accent before the duo could turn the corner, a voice neither of them had heard before. They did not have to think about it for too long, as they only took a couple more steps before standing eye to eye with the trespasser.

The intruder placed her hands on her side, leaning on one leg and glaring at the guards. At her feet lay a longbow and quiver filled with arrows. While Ben looked at the weapon, Mal couldn't help but stare at the intruder's wild red curls.

There was no doubt about it. The intruder was the girl from the marketplace.


	9. Bear of Dunbroch

_If I had known what now I know maybe I_

 _Would have taken a moment_

 _Maybe looked over my shoulder_

 _Maybe shed a tear_

 _Now I'm here_

 **Seeing you (Groundhog Day: The Musical)**

* * *

Melinda turned her head to Ben and Mal, who were standing and staring. The frown on her face disappeared and she managed a weak smile, turning her attention to Mal.

"This is not what it looks like," she said. Mal folded her arms.

"What are you doing here?" Mal asked. One chance. Melinda had been given one chance, to tell the truth, and to not screw this up for herself. The Bear of Dunbroch did not have to think twice about giving an answer, though.

"I'm here to help you out," Melinda said. Mal raised an eyebrow.

"Funny way of showing it." Ben nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed. Breaking in wasn't usually the way to show that you wanted to help. If they needed it, she should have just asked instead of breaking in. Otherwise, it would create trust issues beyond the ones Mal already has with the girl.

Melinda sighed deeply, letting her shoulders hang. The weak smile disappeared. "It's not easy, okay? Uma's keeping an eye on everyone and it's not easy to get out. I was lucky they didn't see me sneak out."

"You got out," Mal said.

"Sure did," Melinda nodded, trying too hard not to stare too long at either one of them. "Not many have succeeded. You're fair game when you're out."

"Game?" Ben asked her. "As in, to hunt?"

Melinda nodded. "Yep. If anyone of them sees me when I get out of the door, I'm probably gonna be dead. They don't give up or forget so easily." She glanced at them with big eyes, as if to make them feel sorry for her with this sob story. Mal had no idea whether to trust her or not, but Ben already seemed to have made up his mind.

Ben looked at the guards. "Let her go." Mal sharply turned her head to Ben, eyes widened and a disappointed look on her face. It wasn't something that she could not have seen coming, but it did surprise her, still.

Melinda glared at the guards as she snatched her bow from the ground, and then she extended her hand. The youngest guard handed her the quiver he'd picked up and he and the captain of the guard left the scene. Only Mal, Ben and Melinda remained.

"Are you sure about this?" Mal asked him and he nodded, avoiding her gaze.

"I believe her."

"But is that enough to trust her?"

"You do realize I can hear you, right?" Melinda said, taking a step closer in their direction. Ben did not flinch away, but Mal glanced at the weapons with a suspicious look in her eyes. Melinda sighed and looked at Mal. "I don't want your trust. I only need you to believe me. I didn't come here if I didn't at least know I had a chance, and you're the only ones who know how to properly dispose of a rising threat like Uma."

"Why should we?" Mal then asked her, folding her arms. Ben glanced at her but did not interrupt her. "Yesterday, you seemed more than happy to do her bidding." Melinda may have expected the question to come up sooner or later, but that didn't make it less hurtful or true.

"I'm not proud of it," Melinda said, using a softer and more fragile voice than before. "Once I was Melinda, a Bear of Dunbroch. A myth, a good person. Uma reduced me to my worst self. I would have left sooner if I had found a way out sooner."

"How did you end up with Uma?" Mal asked her. Hopefully, it would provide some much-needed insight into her personality and possibly, her motivations. It may also lead to some way of identifying how Uma recruited her people so that they would at least gain some useful information out of this conversation.

Melinda tensed up. She took a deep breath before speaking quickly, her voice filled with contempt and hate. There was no way of telling whom it was directed to, herself or Uma.

"I was out hunting near the Great Wall. Uma came to town and made an offer I could impossibly refuse. Either I joined, or everyone in town would be killed, including my brother. The blackmail later shifted to 'stay with us or die'. I cooperated, but I took every opportunity that would get me closer to my escape. When I saw you in the marketplace…" Melinda looked directly at Mal, "You're kind of hard to miss. The alliance is here, couldn't find a better time to break away and hopefully find some allies. I hiked all the way here without resting." She briefly paused and turned her attention to Ben. "I thought you'd at least understand."

If Ben had wanted to say anything at all, he wasn't fast enough.

"What's Uma planning?" Mal asked her, noting there was something off about the words she chose to use. Melinda had left out how long she was working for Uma, and whether any other chances of escaping were presented to her.

"She's looking for a powerful magical object," Melinda said truthfully.

"The Fairy Godmother's wand," Mal said, realization dawning upon her. Melinda nodded.

"Or something similar," the Bear responded. "I don't know a lot of what's going on, Uma doesn't tell us much. But I know she's been sending us on a wild goose chase around the country chasing some magical object that may or may not be somewhere in Auradon. She does talk about breaking a curse, though I don't know which curse she is referring to."

Mal's mind wandered to the Godmother's wand. If any magical object can break a curse, it's the wand. Then there also was her mother's staff, but if Uma was smart, she wouldn't pursue it or even think about trying to take it for herself.

"How did Uma get her legs?" Mal then asked. Melinda shook her head.

"She won't tell. Only Harry knows what's up and he won't tell, either if Uma tells him not to."

That was all Mal could think off to ask her with Ben around. Ben had no further questions, either, but he did have something to tell Melinda.

"I'm grateful you're cooperating," he said politely. "And I understand you can't have had it easy. Though I wonder, did you come to us so that we would do something about the situation?"

"I don't expect you to," Melinda answered, shrugging. "It'd be welcome. But I just wanted you to know. There's no telling which curse they want to break and whether they want to cast one themselves. Maybe they'll try something different. Either way, they're a threat and might well go after the alliance."

"What do you think she's capable of?" Ben asked her.

"Honestly, she's capable of anything once she puts her mind to it." She paused. "She's dangerous. And if you don't want to help, I'll go back myself and put an arrow in her chest."

Ben was taken aback by the bluntness of her comment, slightly leaning backward. "W-what?"

"Someone has to take care of her," Melinda said, a cold look in her eyes. "With or without your help, I will go back to put her six feet under. With your help, there's going to be a higher chance that I'll make it out alive."

"We are going to discuss this in private," Ben said, 'we' referring to himself and Mal. Melinda nodded and walked away to the end of the hallway, allowing for Mal and Ben to continue their conversation in hushed voices. As soon as Melinda was out of hearing range, they looked at each other.

"What do you think about this?" Mal asked him. He thought about it and then merely shrugged.

"We can't let her go by herself."

Mal nodded in agreement. "She's right. If she goes alone, she could die."

"We should help," Ben said.

"But it's too risky to send out anyone else."

Ben frowned. "Why?"

"Because Uma's no threat to us at this point. Maybe she's doing it for her mother, but she could just as easily be doing it for herself, too. There's no way she's going to take us down."

"You're, right," Ben said, "she's not a threat right now. But in the future, she could be, and then what? We have a chance to take her out, we should take it."

"And let her be killed?" Mal said. Ben didn't immediately respond. He opened his mouth but soon closed it again.

"I didn't say-"

"You didn't have to," Mal said, folding her arms. "I love you and I know you, but sometimes I just wonder what's happened to you."

Ben sighed, his shoulders resting. He placed a hand on Mal's cheek and smiled widely.

"I'm still me," he responded. "It's just that there are thousands of people looking at me right now, waiting for me to either fall or lead them to salvation. There's a lot of pressure and..." he took a deep breath. "I don't want Uma dead. I want her back in the ocean, safe in our dungeon, far beyond the Great Wall, anywhere but here. But if she doesn't budge, if she somehow can't be stopped by doing these things, she may have to die."

There was some silence. Mal weighed her words, Ben hoped Mal would understand his point of view.

"Ursula won't like that," Mal said eventually. "She'll try to retaliate. Luckily, we don't live near the ocean. If we do take down Uma, the ocean might just come a little closer so the Sea-Witch can reach us. Or not, and then someone on her payroll will do the job just as easily."

"So what do you say?" Ben said. He had already made up his mind about the whole situation, now it was Mal's time to do the same.

"I don't like it," she said. "I don't trust it. But Melinda can't go in alone."

Ben nodded, a smile coming back on his face. Mal continued: "Good. Then we can-"

"I'm going with her." Mal swallowed the words he'd speak if Ben hadn't interrupted her. Shock came upon her face.

"What?"

"If we're going to take down Uma, I want to be there. Make sure nothing bad happens to her unless it's absolutely necessary."

"If you're going, so am I," Mal responded.

"Why does every conversation we have always end with the two of us going on a dangerous adventure together?" Ben said. Mal merely shrugged. If Ben was going, fine, but she was joining to keep him safe. It was stupid, but at least she'd know where he was and how he was doing. She'd know he'd be in safe hands for the rest of the journey. Ben shrugged.

"I don't know," Mal said, "and I don't like it. But at least we're sticking together."

Mal would rather he stayed behind and that she went in alone. Every time they faced a challenge like this one in the last six months, she'd always insist on going with the person requesting aid to make sure all would go well. Every time, Ben would insist to come as well, claiming that he wouldn't be a good leader if he didn't supervise how things were going. But those challenges never included taking out an active VK with possible retribution from the mother. This time, though, he was putting himself on the front line. This time, they were both out to do something risky.

"Don't you wish Lonnie would be back?" Mal said. Ben nodded.

"If she was, I wouldn't be coming along," Ben said. Lonnie was out in East Riding, trying to find Philip and Merlin, in the hopes that one of them could help. They'd heard reports that she was returning, but she hadn't arrived yet. If she'd been back, she probably would gladly join Melinda's quest. Since she wasn't, Mal was coming along and thus Ben was tagging along, too.

Together, they walked back to Melinda. She seemed more than ready to leave as soon as possible. She turned her head when they came back.

"We're coming with you," Ben said. before Melinda could say anything, he continued, "but we're leaving in the morning. We need to rest, too."

Melinda seemed disappointed, but not surprised. "I'm leaving at the crack of dawn. Be there." She turned around and walked away, prompting Mal and Ben to look at one another.

"That was weird," Mal said quietly.

"She's quite excited to take out an enemy," Ben said. He turned to his girlfriend. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I just hope you understand why I—"

"I do," Mal said, "and that's the scary part. You're starting to think like… like me." She hesitated a little at the end, the word she first wanted to use still on her lips. Think like a villain. Ben stepped a bit closer and smiled reassuringly at her.

"That doesn't have to be so bad," Ben said. "Let's go to bed. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

Mal agreed, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that Ben was changing for the worst.


	10. Space between

_It's our time, we up next! (Next, next)_

 _Our sail's about to be set (set, set)_

 _They ain't seen nothing yet_

 _Tell 'em who's in charge so they don't forget_

 **What's my name (Descendants 2)**

* * *

Getting up early in the morning, at the crack of dawn, did hurt when you weren't used to getting up that early. Luckily, Ben was used to getting out of bed at this ungodly hour and he woke her up with a short kiss. When she still did not want to go out of bed, he pulled the blankets from her so she had no choice but to get up.

She looked up and saw Ben was already fully dressed. She glared at him.

"That's unfair," she said. Ben shrugged and threw a pair of pants in her direction.

"I know," he said. "You can't wait too long, or else she'll leave without us." That was all the motivation mal needed to get up, get dressed and get ready for the adventure of the year. As she was changing, Ben respectfully stood with his back to her and not once glanced over his shoulder. He was about to ask her whether she was done yet when Mal grabbed his shoulder and the two of them were transported towards the fields in front of the castle. As expected, Melinda was there, but she wasn't the only one.

"Evie?" mal asked when she noticed her best friend and Doug were there as well, with a horse and a mule carrying big bags, which undoubtedly contained all their belongings. Despite the implications, Mal had to ask to be certain. "What's going on?"

Evie looked uncomfortable, sought solace* with Doug before looking at Mal again. She took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to go without telling you," Evie said. that confirmed it; they were leaving.

"You could've told me," Mal said. She was not mad at Evie for keeping this from her, but sadness did come up.

"You wouldn't agree," Evie said. "But Doug and I – we can't wait any longer. We're going to stay with his family for a while, just until Uma's gone." She gave Mal an encouraging look and Mal couldn't help but smile.

"You'll soon be able to live in your house, I promise," Mal said. Evie and Mal embraced each other again and they did not immediately let go of each other.

"Evie?" Doug asked. "You ready?" Evie let go of Mal and they stared each other in the eyes. There may be a lot of space between the two of them, but the universe wouldn't be able to keep them apart for long. They were best friends and would always be, no matter where fate would bring them.

"We'll keep in touch," Evie said when they eventually parted. Mal nodded.

Doug helped Evie climb up the horse and that was their cue to leave. The horse moved slowly, but still fast enough to be quickly leaving. Mal didn't say anything – she only watched on silently, wishing them farewell and all the happiness.

Five minutes later, they were only a blob in the distance, an indistinguishable form that could be hardly seen form this position. That was all the time they wanted to lose, Mal knew. Melinda had wanted to leave as soon as possible and she'd been ready to go. She'd allowed them to say goodbye, but she wouldn't stay patient for too long anymore.

"We've got to go," Melinda said. Mal nodded, agreeing with Melinda. There was quite a distance to cover and they had a long way to go. Since it was always hard to transport herself to a place she hadn't seen before, she could easily bring them back at risk of being spotted. But Melinda had prepared three horses – where did she find the time? – and it seemed like teleporting was out of the question.

"Are you sure about not going to the town with magic?" Mal tried one last time, "It would be a lot faster."

"But it's easier to get caught," Melinda said. "That's not a risk I'm willing to take, not now I've come this far." To add some power to the statement, she got up on her horse and stared down at Ben and Mal. "You coming?"

They gave no verbal answer. Ben and Mal climbed onto a horse and rode off with Melinda.

* * *

They rode their horses for the most part of the day and only arrived at the town at the end of the day. They had barely stopped, only when Ben asked for it because not he, but the horse could be getting too tired. Melinda then agreed to wait for a minute or ten before stopping and urging them to get started again. They were fast and held breaks like this throughout the day. The few breaks that lasted longer were the ones, during which they ate. It wasn't as good as they were used to, but this was more than enough for the journey.

At long last, they arrived at Sirk. From the distance, it did not look like anything special was going on in this village, but there was nothing wrong about that. Melinda basically jumped off of her horse and walked off to the village.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked her.

"What I came here to do," Melinda said. "I'm going to lure her back, so we can take care of this problem."

"You want to go in without a plan?" Mal asked her. Melinda shook her head.

"I have a plan. I'm going in and getting her back with me," she responded. Mal sighed and finally got off the horse.

"We came with you so you wouldn't make this mistake."

"It's not a mistake!"

"If she sees you, you could die. You said it yourself."

Melinda shifted uncomfortably. "I did," she said. "She could. But if I tell her I managed to capture you or Ben, then she could come and then we can rid this world of her."

"Are you sure she'll believe you?" Ben said. Melinda shrugged.

"I guess we'll see." She responded. taking her bow in one hand and grabbing an arrow with the other. Then, an idea kicked in, one that could possibly be one of the worst ideas she's had in a long while.

"How about we come, too."

"What?" Melinda asked. Her eyes had widened in surprise. Even Ben hadn't seen this coming and looking at Mal with a telling gaze.

"We'll come with you as far as we can," she explained. "If anything goes wrong, we can pull you out."

"You'd do that?" Melinda asked. "I don't want to be the cause of your death."

"You won't," Mal said. Nobody's going to kill me today."

Melinda seemed pleased with that answer. A small smile, a daring smile appeared on her face. "Let's do this, then." Melinda promptly turned around and walked off. Ben and Mal had no choice but to follow her down the road. She walked just a little ahead of them and while Been and Ma stayed a bit behind her, he told her something.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he said. Mal nodded confidently, even though that's not how she felt about the situation.

"Me, too," she responded. The rest of the journey from the outskirts of the village to the small alleyways of Sirk was spent in silence, as not to warn Uma and her friends of anything. The sun was setting, casting large shadows and turning these alleys dark, making it a great refuge and hiding places.

They walked from shadow into shadow, not once losing sight of each other and the task at hand. If Melinda sped up too much, the others would halt her by knocking on the wall. If she turned around a corner, Melinda would wait until they'd come and would alert them if something wasn't safe or what best to avoid when sneaking around, all said with a hushed voice.

Melinda turned around a corner again and this time, she hadn't slowed down when that signal was given to her. As soon as Ben and Mal reached the corner, they had noticed she had gone. They stopped and stayed in the shadows, looked around, but they could not find the girl with the wild red hair anywhere.

Mal started to pick up on some minor details. There were no people in the streets. Sure, the winter was no reason to go outside, but today had been a good day and you'd think people would enjoy the sun for as long as they could during these short days. And then there was the noise, or the lack thereof. Usually, in a big village like this one, there'd be a lot of people making a lot of everyday noise throughout the day. Especially at night did these big cities tend to come alive. Mal was seeing and hearing none of that. Ben did not notice either of these things.

And then there was this feeling in her gut. It wasn't strong, but she felt something was off. It was the combination of the silence, the lack of people in the street and Melinda just disappearing into thin air that did it for her. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it and thus she didn't like what direction this was taking.

She tucked on Ben's shirt, eyes wide and trying to find anything else out of the ordinary. "We should go," she said.

"Ben turned his head to her. "What?"

"Something's not right about this," she whispered quickly. "We gotta go."

"What about Melinda?" he asked.

"That's what I'm worried about, she said. Ben's eyes first stared at her in confusion, but then realization hit him hard.

"Let's go," he said. They turned around and walked back to where they came from.

Only, their way was blocked. Someone was standing in their way. The alley they'd just walked through was so small, one person was enough to effectively stop them from reaching the horses again or even going back. He was only a boy, a teenage boy with a hook for a hand and a smug grin on his face. "Hiya," he said.

Ben and Mal turned around immediately and tried to run any other way, but each time their way was blocked by someone else, all of them approximately the same age as Hook's kid. The other ways blocked and o way to go back, Ben stood in front of Mal as they backed against the wall, as if to protect Mal.

She quickly stepped from behind him to right in the line of fire. She extended her palm to the growing group of teenagers surrounding them and glared at them.

"You know what I'm capable of," she said. "Are you sure you want to find out what happens when I get really angry?"

Some of them shifted where they stood, others stayed confident in their own abilities. It gave her the time to look at all these faces, most of them were unfamiliar. She noticed Carlos in the crowd but didn't say anything. If he was with them, he was far gone and beyond redemption. Maybe separating him from the group could do wonders for his sense of morale, but if this was the path he chose after leaving the battle, there was nothing Mal could do about it.

"I'd love to see that happen, but not today." Mal recognized that voice from yesterday. She immediately moved her palm and to the source and both her and Ben turned their heads. Kids from the first row grabbed their weapons a bit tighter and glared at Mal while she kept her palm aimed at her.

Uma could barely be described as a teenager – she looked more like a full grown woman than a teenager. As she came closer, Melinda walked out of an alleyway that Uma just passed. Mal shot an angry glare to the heir of Dunbroch. She shouldn't have trusted Melinda. She felt the urge to tell Ben 'I told you so', but she kept it to herself. Getting back at him wasn't the most important right now.

Uma walked closer and the crowd parted as she came towards Mal and Ben. Eventually, she had come close enough to be able to touch her if Mal just reached a little further.

"Lower the arm," Uma said. "Unless you're desperate to make a bad decision."

Mal took a deep breath and continued to stare at the daughter of Ursula. She then felt a warm hand upon her shoulder.

"Mal," Ben said, as a way to warn her and hopefully encourage her to listen to Uma. With a deep sigh, Mal lowered the arm but continued to glare at Uma, who was smiling widely.

"See? That wasn't that hard." Mal could've grumbled about the situation, but did not.

"But this must've been," Mal responded. "I mean, leading us into a trap like that. there's no way could've come up with this yourself."

That smile disappeared from her face. "Don't you underestimate me. You have no idea what I am capable of. I brought all these different people together, all loyal to me." Ben and Mal looked around the group again. They saw Carlos and Melinda. They saw their pirate. They had not one knight, but two, and a girl that easily belonged in the forest. There was one that really stood out. While everyone stood there proudly and were more than happy to back their leader vocally, this tall blond boy only muttered under his breath and though there lay a half-smile on his face, his eyes were hollow and void of any emotion. It seemed he was the only one who didn't want to be there, and this gave Mal comfort. At least one of them isn't as loyal as Uma thinks they are. The daughter of Maleficent turned her head to Uma again.

"So one of these teenagers came up with this plan?" she asked.

Without self-restraint, Uma would've slapped Mal then and there, but she did not. But the evil staring contest did reach its peak around this time

Uma looked up to a point right behind Mal and more to the left. She briefly nodded. The hand on Mal's shoulder that had been there since the beginning of the conversation was suddenly letting go. Mal turned her head and saw the pirate and another guy drag Ben away from her. He was distressed, she knew, though he came and looked pretty calm despite the circumstances. A girl stepped in between them.

Rage took over Mal, thinking of what Uma could possibly do to him. The confidence of the girl in front of her shifted to an uncomfortable level and glanced behind her. Mal clenched a fist, which was starting to let off some smoke.

"Don't do anything stupid, Mal," Uma said behind her. Mal promptly turned around and looked at an unimpressed Uma. "If you hurt anyone of us, we will retaliate. Maybe Ben will get a brand new scar."

Mal took a deep breath. The smoke was gone and Mal loosened her hand.

"That's a good girl."

"Alright, you've won," Mal said. "You've got me. So why don't you tell me what you need me for?"

"You are going to give me something," Uma said. "You're going to help me be the most powerful sorceress on this land."

"The Fairy Godmother's wand," Mal said. Everyone wanted that damn thing. They're already evil, now with good magic at their fingertips, they could shape the world around them to their image. That was always the plan. That was her mother's plan.

"No," Uma said. "After you pursued it, it must've been moved around, made it impossible to find. I want something that you can give me. I want you to hand over Maleficent's staff."

Mal froze.

"I can't do that," she said. Nobody should be able to wield Maleficent's staff. Nobody could, except Maleficent and her next of kin. Touching it is fine, but trying to use it often brought disaster and death.

"Another bad decision," Uma said. "But I'm fair. You have two days to change your mind. if you don't meet me here at dawn on the second day, your boyfriend will die."

The crowd dispersed, among them Ben, silenced and unable to signal Mal. Mal on her part did not stop any of them, lest they retaliate. She stood there, defeated, unable to think for a while and hoping that Uma would not hurt Ben too much.

She went back to the castle via teleportation. She left the horses, for animals always had a rather negative experience with this kind of travel – someone would find them and care for them. she went specifically to the doctor's office, the one place where she knew people would always be.

She startled the young head doctor, Miles, and he dropped a plate. Glass shattered.

"I don't mind if you stop by every once in a while," he said, going to clean up the glass, "but there's a door. Please use it."

"I'm sorry," Mal said and she helped him clean up the glass.

"What brings you here, anyway?"

"Can you gather the council?" Mal said. Miles looked up, a frown on his face. "I'd do it, but I need to think right now."

"Something's wrong. What happened?"

"Ben's been captured."


	11. Morality

_They read me like a book that is open_

 _While punching on a bag and I'm choking_

 _I'm looking for a sign while they're stepping on my mind_

 _But I hide behind a simpleminded notion_

 _I'm trying to act cool but I'm boiling_

 _I'm feeling like a fool that was chosen_

 _Try to keep myself calm_

 _While my head was getting bombed_

 _Really need to get that good vibe going_

 **Grab the moment (JOWST)**

* * *

The meeting with the councilmembers went bad, as Mal had expected.

The few councilmembers that showed up were in even fewer numbers than the ones that had survived. In fact, only two had come to her. She discussed the situation at length and hoped that together, they would find a way to get Ben back without handing over the staff.

One of them was still traumatized and wanted to wait a day before giving an answer. The other one was surprised to learn that Maleficent's staff was still inside the building - "I thought she had it with her when she turned" - and then inquired about its current location. Mal refused to share that information with the older councilmember, explaining the situation about the wielders to her. She then understood it was better nobody knew, but still suggested handing it over, so they could take Ben back and take the staff back once it enacted its curse. Mal didn't want to do that, for the curse of the staff was so severe, she wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even the young woman that held her boyfriend captive.

The night had been long and it was way past midnight when Mal went back to sleep. In the morning, there was nobody to greet her when she woke up for the first time in six months. It hurt to know that Ben was left at the mercy of the Sea Witch and her pirate friend, but she knew that she had to do something. One dawn has already passed - just one more day, 24 hours, until Ben's final hour had beaten. One more day until Mal was expected to show up with the staff and trade it for Ben.

Mal spent most of the day in the throne room. She would stay there and think, going over all the options and thinking up every possible solution. She was so in thought, she didn't even hear the visitor walking in.

"Mal?" She turned her head and relaxed. Miles, the young Arabian doctor had walked in the room. "I have news from Cinderellasburg. I would've gone to Ben, but... But if you're too busy-"

"No," Mal said - maybe this could be the distraction she needed. "Go ahead. What's the news?"

Miles smiled briefly at her. "Drew Tremaine has been found. She's safe, as are Dizzy and Anthony. As far as our informants know, they're now running the city and the region in name of Lady Tremaine."

Mal nodded. That was good news. Lady Tremaine wasn't terrible, but she did not care for the people living in her region. Her daughters were just like her. Looting and thievery were no exception and even were part of the daily lives of these people. At least their descendants cared for the future of the people and they would rule justly. At least their parents are lazy enough to let them do the hard work required to get these people back to the wealth the region once enjoyed.

"Thank you," she said. Immediately she turned her head away from the boy and thought again. but there were no footsteps and Miles stayed right where he was.

"You'll find a way," he said hesitantly. "I know it."

"But what if I don't?" Mal responded.

"Oh, you will. I can feel it."

"How are you so optimistic?"

Miles shrugged. "I'm actually not," he said. "Where I'm from... there were expectations that I couldn't live up to. My father expected me to be one thing while I definitely did not want to be that. My sister was always the favorite. But I can't blame her for anything, she's basically what they never found in me. She was the one following their example, while I fought back to be who I wanted to be. I ended up being beaten so hard I obeyed for the next couple of years. But one day, I had enough. I ran away from my family. I crossed the Great Wall and lived in Auradon ever since. Nursed myself back to health and helped others along the way. I met the Dwarves, who brought me here. Since then, I've been off the grid and if my family ever finds out who I am and, more specifically, where I am, I'm a dead man. They have the means to find and kill me. Literally every day could be my last. Until then, I gotta keep working hard to save some good people, so that some more good people can be brought into this world and squash the evil out of it. Well," he shrugged, "Not all evil can be vanquished, but if the good people outnumber the bad, that's good enough for me too."

He looked at Mal. "So no, I'm not extremely optimistic. But I do have faith in you, Ben and everyone else you're working with. You're gonna do good, make a right decision, and I just hope it'll work out in the end. That's the one thing I hope for in this world right now - that you make it right."

Mal looked at him a little longer. While he had spoken, she had recognized some key Agrabahian speech features in his voice, ones that Jay used to speak with as well. "It's a sign of the Agrabah elite," Jay used to say.

"Who are you?" Mal asked him, confused about his true identity. And that name - it couldn't possibly be chosen by anyone who lived in Agrabah.

"More like you can than you can imagine," Miles said. "My name is Ianto, but I prefer you call me Miles. That's the name my mother wanted to give me, but my father didn't like that."

"Iago," Mal said, realization hitting her. "You're Iago's son."

"Only in blood," Miles replied. "Might as well not be my fate. He is one of the reasons I skipped town." He paused. "You'll figure something out. If you ever need help, you can always knock on my door."

That was when Miles left the room, leaving Mal all alone with the huge bombshell of information he'd just dropped on her. She could hardly believe it and it prevented her from thinking straight. but she did believe the kid. He spoke the truth.

The doors opened again and Mal couldn't suppress a smile when she realized who had just walked in.

"Lonnie!" she said, "I'm glad you're back. How was the search?"

"Not very fruitful," Lonnie said. "But some people have said they believe Merlin's hiding out in Sherwood."

"And Philip?" Lonnie shook her head

"Nothing on him. It's like he just vanished."

Mal sighed. There always had been the chance that she wouldn't find anyone. But it was apparently too much to hope for in these times of crisis.

"What happened here?" Lonnie said. "I've heard people say that Ben's been captured."

Mal nodded in response. She explained the situation to the recently returned warrior. Lonnie listened carefully to every word that Mal spoke and eventually nodded when Mal was done talking.

"Do you have a plan yet?" Lonnie asked, but Mal shook her head.

"I've tried to come up with one, but it doesn't seem that there's a way we can win this." Lonnie sat down next to mal and the both of them continued to think of any way to get him back.

"You have until tomorrow morning, right?" Lonnie said. Mal nodded.

"If Uma doesn't get the staff, we're not getting Ben back."

"I assume giving it away is not an option?" Lonnie said and again Mal nodded.

"it's too dangerous. Nobody outside of my family can wield it." Lonnie nodded in response to this.

"Then why don't we let her think she's getting what she wants?" she suggested. Mal looked up, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"Is there a way to make a copy of the staff? like, a physical clone or enchanting a stick to look like the staff."

"And we give that to Uma," Mal said, realization dawning on her as she finished her thoughts. That wasn't such a bad plan. That way, Uma would think she had control of the staff and they would get Ben back.

"That is, if you don't have a better idea," Lonnie said.

"Yours is the only good one I've heard so far," Mal said, "thanks for helping me out."

"No problem," Lonnie responded. "Since the search only led us to dead ends, it's good to help out someone who is in actual danger."

"I gotta start immediately," Mal said. She stood up and at the same time, Lonnie did that, too.

"I have one more question," Lonnie said.

"Sure, what is it?"

"The people out there, with Uma," Lonnie said, "Did you recognize anyone?"

Mal nodded. "Carlos was there. A pirate, who could be the lost son of captain hook. There's Uma herself, there's a knight from Camelot, there's the daughter of Dunbroch. Possibly a lot more, but I couldn't recognize them all."

"Then we should help them after we've freed Ben," Lonnie said. "Not just children from villains are there, but children from heroes of old as well. If Uma's holding them there against their ill, they need our help just as much as Ben does."

"I like that," Mal said. "There's one problem. It doesn't look like they're held against their will."

"Then magic is doing his job," Lonnie said. "I've met the heir of Dunbroch a couple of years ago. She wouldn't ally herself with a villain, she was fierce and brave and stuck to her moral code. If you really saw a knight, then he, too, is held there captive. Whether it' s an actual spell or some sort of potion, they aren't there for the world domination. They're there to help Uma because she put them there in the first place."

"I hope you're right," Mal said.

"Me too," Lonnie said. "But no matter what you tell me, you 'll have me at your side. I'm going to help you, whether you want me to or not."

Mal smiled widely. "I'm not going to be able to tell you to stay out, am I?"

Lonnie shook her head. "Like I said, I'll be there every step of the line."

Mal smiled again. This small gesture meant a world of difference to her. With Ben being held captive and the council not giving good advice and the alliance members that know of his captivity in utter disarray, this one promise made Mal's day. That, and the fact that Miles had shown incredible support for her and brought the belief that no matter what, she would make a good decision. It was all her call now, even though the alliance had not decided on her being the deputy leader. She'd make a decision.

Mal turned her head to Lonnie. "Let's make a copy of the staff," she said and Lonnie smiled.

"C'mon," Mal continued, "there's work to do."


	12. Important choices

_And there's a silent storm inside me_

 _Looking for a home, I hope_

 _That someone's gonna find me_

 _And say that I belong_

 _I'll wait forever and a lifetime_

 _To find I'm not alone, and there's_

 _A silent storm inside me_

 _And someday I'll be calm_

 _Someday I'll be calm_

 **Silent storm (Carl Espen)**

* * *

With only twelve hours to go before the deadline passed, Ben spent his second night the exact same way as he spent his first: tied to a pole, with one arm free and the other far away from it, sitting up straight while the people surrounding him, all of them about his age, were partying wildly. This exact scene also happened the night before and it made him wonder whether they did this every night or if they just tried to intimidate him through this means.

Hunger was eating away at him. He last ate right before they entered the city of Sirk. It made it easier for him to refuse the food they gave him the night before. It's been 24 hours since then and never really having hunger in his life despite his lifestyle, living without hunger has always been consistent. He was reminded of how vicious no food in your stomach could be, how your stomach would just pull together and make the loudest of noises, begging for at least a little bit of food in his stomach. It didn't help that these teenagers were eating all they wanted and sometimes took a big bite right in front of him.

The pirate walked closer to him, a big evil smile on his face. In his hand, he held an apple. He placed the apple right in front of Ben without saying a word and then he walked off again.

Ben eyed the apple. Yesterday, it was easy to ignore his meal was standing right I front of him. Today, after being starved for almost an entire day, this was not as easy as yesterday. The apple was right within reach. With his free arm, he only had to take it and eat it to at least satisfy his hunger for a little while.

Ben leaned back against the pole and sighed, closing his eyes. He didn't have to see everything that was going on around him and though he could still hear the revelry, it made it easier on focus on Mal.

He didn't think about a daring rescue. He didn't even expect Mal to show up at all; he expected nothing. It was better that way, he wouldn't be disappointed by the results. He just hoped that Mal would make the right choice, though he didn't know what that choice would be in the end. He hoped he would get through the night without touching the apple.

* * *

Gil looked around the fireplace. It was empty except for some people. It was calm and that was what he liked best. Not too many people, just him and some others who'd rather enjoy the fire than a party with the big boys.

Gil got up and walked around to make sure his legs wouldn't fall asleep. He stretched his legs and almost bumped into Melinda.

"Watch it!" she said, not completely there herself.

"I'm sorry," Gil said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she responded, way too quickly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

She said it way too quickly as if she'd practiced that answer in front of the mirror to fire back at everyone talking to her.

"It's just... you look phased," Gil said. It's as if she discovered something she wasn't proud of. That got Gil thinking. and eventually, he came to a conclusion he could live with. "Did you have an apple on your way back here?"

Melinda glared at him and he took a step back from her. If she was going to be angry, he'd love there to be a bit more space between the two of them. But she did eventually soften up again and sighed.

"I wanted to eat it," she responded. "But I dropped it on the ground and Ben," she glanced at the young prisoner tied to the pole, "fed it to one of the horses. More than enough apples, he said. Since then there's this..." She brought her hands up to her shoulders as if trying to grasp what she was trying to communicate to Gil but was failing to do so.

"I don't know how to explain it, alright?" she eventually said and continued in a hushed voice. "I didn't eat an apple. So what? But the closer it came to the night, the more I started to doubt. What if we're... not doing the right thing here?"

"But we are," Gil said, only because he knew that was what Melinda was trying to hear in his voice: support that she wasn't going metal. "You don't have to doubt that you're doing good. evil. something."

"Then why do I feel like this is not right?" she said, passing him as if to seek privacy. Gil turned around and noticed she'd stopped after only a couple of paces and stood still. "I've been thinking about my family today."

"So? Is that bad?" Gil asked her, not sure what she meant. She turned around to face him.

"I haven't thought about my family in months! And today, their image just pops right back into my mind and I don't know what to think." She looked distressed confused. If Uma saw this, Gil would see his golden opportunity go to waste. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she glared ad he pulled it back again. No hand on shoulders.

"Can I tell you something crazy?" he asked. "To keep your mind off of the thing?"

"Yes, please," she said, "I could use any distraction right now." She stared at Uma for a little while, who was talking to her knight, Archie. Gil could only look on in melancholy. Loyalty could go far, but Melinda and Archie found love without the use of any magic. If he managed to free Melinda, he'd have no chance of getting to Archie. Uma seemed to like the knight as a useful force and she's wound him so much so around his finger, Gil assumed the knight of Camelot basically replaced him as one of Uma's closest advisors.

"I've heard Uma puts some magic on the apples," he said. For a few moments, there was silence, and then Melinda spoke again.

"You're right, that's crazy."

"It was made by a traitor," Gil said. Traitor was a word the girl was branded as after finding it out. That was how Gil learned it in the first place, too. "She said the apples were enchanted or there was some sort of potion."

"What did it do, then?" Melinda asked.

"It makes you completely loyal to Uma," he said in a deadpan. Only a few moments later, they both broke out in laughter, both of it seemed contrived and partly faked.

"I, for one, don't believe it," Gil said. "But there's only one way to be sure."

Melinda raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting not eating an apple."

Gil shrugged, a smile effortlessly coming to his face. "What's the worst that could happen? That would be if it turns out to be true and Uma has been brainwashing all of us from the start, but that would never happen, now, would it?"

"Of course not," Melinda said. "You know what? Challenge accepted. No apples till the morning."

"No apples till the morning," Gil repeated. "Let's seek each other out before the trial and we can discuss how crazy this theory is again."

"Sounds good," Melinda said. She looked over his shoulders and upon seeing Uma was done talking to Archie, she went to seek him out while Gil looked on. With a bit of luck, he'll have freed one more person, one who wouldn't be stupid enough to proclaim Uma's big method of keeping everyone under her thumb out in the open.

* * *

Carlos couldn't help but overhear the conversation. Without talking to Melinda or Gil, he made his way to Uma's place. It wasn't far away, but he did pass the tray where all the apples were held. Subconsciously, he picked one up and brought it to his mouth.

Carlos paused and looked at the apple. It looked normal, as far as he could tell. If Uma really had put some magic or a potion on it, they would've noticed, right?

Or maybe it was the point that nobody would ever notice. He had never seen Uma, Harry and Gil eat their apples. They never touched one, but always supplied. They were still loyal to each other, Gil to a lesser amount, but Carlos still saw in Gil's eyes that he liked to be with his group of friends, even though he was basically telling Melinda not t eat the apple on the off-chance that it was magic keeping them together.

What if it did? What if that one small piece of fruit was indeed keeping the group together. Carlos looked around. A knight, a pirate, the heir of Dunbroch, a forest girl and many more types of teenagers had joined the cause. Carlos had always explained the age because they'd better relate to the message Uma was trying to present and tried to reason that these people were rebels and outcasts in their own mind, that a group of people like them was close to casting them out and that Uma had found them right on time.

Carlos remembered his first encounter with Uma. He was working in a tavern, had hidden his true identity and yet they still had found her. Uma offered him an apple, a sign of goodwill, and gave numerous good reasons to join her and have some fun again instead of working like the common folk. He had accepted her offer right away and never once stopped to doubt her.

He couldn't remember what she said. He remembered a smile, a friendly one she'd never actually displayed since. She had given these good reasons, this he knew, but he couldn't recall the conversation. He should've at least be able to remember one thing that was mentioned that day.

Carlos hesitantly looked at the apple. She'd given him one that day, told him to sleep on it. He ate it and the next day, he was part of the crew. If he asked other people - he had - they would always tell him that Uma had offered them that apple and then they came aboard. Carlos found it hard to believe that that could be a coincidence.

He marched back to the table and put the apple back, making sure nobody would see it. He was going to give Gil's theory a try and although skeptic of Gaston's son, it was time to give it a chance. For all he knew, Gil was wrong and Carlos would still be loyal when the potion or the magic would supposedly wear off.

Carlos stepped away from the barrel and did not continue to Uma. If Gil was wrong, she should know. If he wasn't, then it was better to stay silent about it. Either way, Uma would find out one day sooner than later, since it seemed Gil couldn't keep this up for much longer anymore.


	13. Trade

_Quand ils sont arrivés_

 _Cachés derrière leurs armes_

 _Ils étaient des milliers_

 _Ils riaient de nos larmes_

 _Ils ont voulu détruire_

 _Nos croyances et nos âmes_

 _Avec des mots de haine_

 _Que l'on n'connaissait pas_

 **N'oubliez pas (Lisa Angell)**

* * *

Mal and Lonnie left at dawn. They had prepared everything to the detail, especially what to say when Uma would say something. Mal held the copy of the staff in her hand. They'd decided on taking a stick and enchanting it to look like Maleficent's staff. Not only was it exactly like the staff, but it gave Mal the same uneasy feeling. Even while knowing it wasn't the real thing, it still felt heavy in her hands and though she wanted to put it down, she didn't want to hand it to Lonnie, either.

"Are you ready?" Lonnie called, stepping into view. Her armor shone brightly in the light of the torch. At that moment, she could easily be mistaken for her mother if her hair were shorter.

Mal nodded, her hand clenching the fake staff, holding on to it as if she was going to lose it the second she loosened her grip.

"Let's go." Mal closed her eyes and pictured Sirk. She saw the streets, floated through them until she reached a green field, where she, Ben and Melinda got off their horses in the past. She let the magic do its job, guiding it with a silent spell and telling it to take her and Lonnie there.

Mal opened her eyes and she and Lonnie had arrived on the green field near Sirk. Looking at the border of the town, they could already see Uma and company standing at the ready. Into the field to show they're not afraid, but not too far from the village to easily fall back into. On Mal's side, there was just green hills and no cover whatsoever.

They needed to be quick if they wanted this trick to work. She took one deep breath and then walked closer with Lonnie right behind her. They came closer to the group and it became easier to see what was going on within the group as well All of the crew members were standing as one, though they all had individual poses, like mismatched socks, like a jigsaw puzzle that didn't fit. Mal easily spotted Carlos in the crowd, his hair slicked back and a crossbow at his hip. here was Melinda, standing close to him, her arms crossed and a bow near her. Right behind her stood the knight in shining armor, his hand on the hilt of the sword in his sheath.

Then there was Uma and her right-hand men. They stood proudly next to her, a goofy grin on Harry's face. Gil was a bit more gloom than the others, but he supported the case nonetheless. Right next to Uma sat Ben, on his knees, facing the ground and his hand bound with ropes.

Other than them, there was a surprise guest that had showed up. Mal stopped in her tracks, only briefly, before continuing on her way. The face wasn't part of the big crowd, but he still stood close to Uma. As if he was more of a silent contributor than a fulltime member. Yet, Jay couldn't help but stand there, smugly, as if he had already won the fight that was going on between them and the good guys. Lonnie noticed this small change in her tracks.

"I know," Lonnie said. "We can kick his ass later." Mal nodded and didn't turn her head. At one point, when they had come close enough to hear what was being said, Harry grabbed Ben by his arm and pulled him up on his feet. Ben lifted his head and had a sad expression in his eyes when he saw the staff in Mal's hand. His shoulders slumped.

"Mal..." he shook his head in despair. He wanted to say something, but with one look at Uma, he was silenced.

Lonnie stayed behind while Mal came closer, alone. Uma, Ben, and Jay separated from the big group as well and walked all the way back to Mal. There was only a distance of three meters, about nine yards.

"I'm sure this is all your work?" Mal glanced at Jay. He merely shrugged.

"I may not be able to hurt you, but that doesn't mean these people can't. Should've been more specific."

Mal turned her head to Uma. Ben stood beside her, his hands still bound and his head barely hanging down.

"Mal, I'm not worth it," Ben said. "Go back while you still can."

"I'm not leaving here without you," Mal said and then looked at Uma. "I kept my end of the deal. Are you planning on keeping yours?"

Uma nodded. "I'm a woman of my word." She extended one hand and placed the other on Ben's back, ready to push him back as they were going to exchange the items. Mal extended the hand she didn't hold the staff with as well and got ready to hand over the staff.

As soon as Uma grabbed the thing, she pushed Ben into Mal's hands. She immediately untied Ben's chains and dragged him away from Uma and Jay.

"Slow down," Ben said. "There's no hurry."

Mal lifted her head. "Oh yes, there is. Quickly." They jogged away from Uma and finally reached Lonnie again.

"What's going on?" Ben asked and he shot a worried look at Mal. Something always happened with Mal involved.

"I'll explain when we get back," Mal said. With one thought and a bit of magic, they returned safely to the castle, the screams of Uma in the background accompanying them home.

* * *

As soon a Mal handed over the staff, Jay knew something was wrong with the entire situation. It was the way everything seemed to go too well for them. Sure, Mal cared too much for the little 'king', but she cared more about the staff and how it should only be used by the family she was born into, by her own bloodline. She handed over that staff way too easily and walked away way too quickly. Something definitely was wrong with this entire situation.

Jay cast a glance at Uma. She was smiling to herself, holding the staff in her hand, in awe of her newfound victory that Jay still doubted.

"Try it out," Jay said. Uma's state changed instantly.

"What?"

"This went too easily," Jay now turned his entire body to her. "Try it out."

Uma had no reason not to believe him, so she did. She raised the staff high up in the air and imagined magic flowing through it and about the result she wanted it to have - turn this meadow to ashes. She let the staff come down and planted its foot into the ground.

Nothing happened. Uma growled in frustration and then screamed. Jay immediately jumped to action, running after the two. Once they reached Lonnie, though, all help was too late. They disappeared into thin air and Jay never had the chance of catching up with her.

Jay walked back to Uma, who had returned to the small group. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should've known Mal would try something like this. I'll make my way back home and you'll never have to see me again."

"You can stay," Uma said dangerously calm. He turned his attention to the pirate. Harry wasn't glaring at him, so that was a good sign. He looked back at Uma.

"I don't understand," Jay said. "You didn't get what you wanted. And still, you want me to stay."

"Yes, I do," Uma said. "We are going to get that wand tonight. Just wait and see."

Jay had no idea what was going on, but he liked the idea and he decided that staying one more night couldn't hurt too much.

* * *

From the other side of the group, Carlos and Melinda watched on. Melinda had accepted Gil's challenge and was mostly looking at him rather than Uma or anyone else.

She noticed something in his eyes she hadn't noticed before. He once had been passionate, but nothing much of that fire was left in his eyes. There was this emptiness, this gloom, this indication he may not last any longer in this group.

For the first time in a long while, she didn't feel like she could call him out for it. She remembered her mother and father more clearly now. She remembered their smiles, their faces, their quirks. She remembered being taught archery by her mother, the Heir of Dunbroch, and her father watching quietly. She remembered the day she had to bury her father and could only rely on her mother. She remembered the day Uma knocked on the door and gave her an apple, she remembered promptly leaving her mother and saying goodbye by shooting an arrow at her, she remembered all the atrocities Uma made her do.

She thought about her mother and Archie. She looked behind her and there he stood, her knight in shining armor, still completely enthralled by the whole situation. She smiled at him, but couldn't help but wonder how this bright young man she fell in love with came to be with Uma.

He noticed her staring and looked at her lovingly. "Are you okay, Melinda? You're a little pale."

Was she now? "I'm just a little worried, that's all."

He pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Everything will be fine. Uma will get her staff. Give it time."

She faintly smiled at him once more before turning her back on him. From the corner of her eye, she saw Carlos turning his head as if he'd been looking in her direction as well.

Melinda took a deep breath. She couldn't trust anyone here. Gil was right – whatever it was that Uma did to those apples, it made everyone here loyal. Luckily the effects were only temporary, but it wouldn't be easy to conceal her feelings from the group, especially Archie. Magic was stronger than young love, and if she told him what was going on, he could call her crazy – or he would more likely sell her out to Uma, and then she wouldn't have long to live anyway.

Like a sheep in a herd of wolves, she needed to stay strong and keep up the act. Though it was only a matter of time before she, too, cracked like Gil. She could only hope that one day, she had a chance to escape. Or, if that opportunity didn't present itself, that she could at least wake up one more person from this loyalty-inducing dream everyone else seemed to be living.


	14. A little curse

_Sometimes before it gets better_

 _The darkness gets bigger_

 _The person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger_

 **Miss Missing You (Fall Out Boy)**

* * *

As soon as Ben, Mal and Lonnie returned to the castle, Ben was still rubbing his wrists and turned to Mal immediately.

"Really, what's going on?" Ben said. "What didn't you want Uma to know."

"We gave her a fake," Lonnie said. Ben looked shocked, turned his head from Lonnie to Mal as if to seek confirmation. Mal nodded and a smile came across his face.

"You gave her a fake," he repeated.

"I'd never give her the real staff," Mal said. "It's too dangerous for anyone to have."

"So, it's still safe, then?" Ben asked. At that point, Lonnie left them, still having other things to do during the day. As soon as Lonnie was out of the picture, Ben asked a second question. "So, can I see it?"

Mal's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry", Ben said, "but I need to be sure. I need to see it's still safe."

Mal nodded. "Alright then. Follow me." Mal led the way and Ben followed her. They crossed the entire castle and entered a wing that they had never been in before. Mal had closed it off for everyone, telling them that they could go everywhere but this wing, this one tower in the castle. Ben and Mal climbed the stairs until they had reached an old door. It looked old, and the metal handle and lock were rusting away. It creaked eve standing in its place. Every instinct Ben had told him to run away, but he needed to see. He had to see.

Mal seemed to have trouble being here as well. She took a deep breath, unlocked the door with her magic and opened it. It creaked even more at that moment and the door brought in cobwebs from the other side.

Ben walked into the room, Mal stayed outside. He progressed, pushing away the cobwebs. An ominous feeling descended on him and he looked around.

No wonder Mal didn't want to come in here anymore. This was her mother's old room. Ben looked around even more and saw a closet. He walked closer and took the handle. This wasn't locked. He grabbed the handle and pulled the doors open.

There is was. The staff stood there. Whereas the rest of the room was gathering dust and has become the home of the spiders, both seemed to steer clear from this particular area. The staff looked good as new and even then, Ben was tempted to take it into his hands and try it out.

"Close the doors," Mal said from the outside. Ben did as she said and closed the doors. The staff may be out of sight and the call was still there.

"Are you okay?" Mal asked him. He shook his head.

"It's calling me," he said, "It wants to be used."

"Which is what we can't let happen," Mal said. "Bad things happen when someone outside of my bloodline tries to wield it. Someone once tried, and they died. Ben?"

He had found his mind drifting from reality. He promptly stepped out of the room, taking Mal's hand. He put it away.

"Don't worry," he said. "I can take it. I know it was hard for you to show me, so thanks and I'm sorry for pressing on."

"It's okay," Mal said. "But are you?" They walked down the small turret stairs again. Ben nodded.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you sure?" Mal asked. "You were with Uma for a day and a half. Didn't she do anything to you?"

"She starved me," Ben said. "I could use a good meal. Other than that, there's nothing she did to me."

Mal nodded. She wasn't exactly convinced but was willing to let it slide. Ben was safe and back and that's what mattered.

* * *

After Ben's meal, he went to the throne room, where he would find Mal. She had taken over, but she could say she was glad Ben was back. Being a leader came naturally, though he was a better problem-solver than she could ever be. He walked into the room and immediately looked better. He had been a bit sad until he had returned and Mal noticed he'd gotten better. A good meal could fix most everything.

"You feeling better?" Ben nodded.

"Yes, I do," he walked closer to her and gave her a hug.

It felt weird. It felt… different, Mal noticed. There was some restraint this time, and he pulled away as soon as he possibly could while he normally enjoyed every moment.

"Thank you for rescuing me," Ben said again. "It was a clever move, giving Uma a fake."

"Thanks," Mal said, "But I'm not the one who came up with that idea."

Ben briefly smiled and glanced away. "I'm sorry to bring this up again, but the staff…"

"You're not getting it," Mal said, shaking her head.

"I know, but that's not what I'm asking," Ben said. "Maybe we should move it."

"Why?" Mal asked. It was safe up there. She made sure nobody wanted to go up there, she placed some protective spells herself and the vibes the route to the room and the room itself were giving off were protective enough. Predictability played a big role as well since nobody would believe Maleficent's old staff would still be in her room – no, the alliance must have taken it away, out of sight, out of mind.

"It's not safe there," Ben said, "Anyone can walk up there. That thing called on me. If it weren't for you, I would've taken it. As you said, it's dangerous. We should put it somewhere safer."

"It stays right there," Mal said. Ben nodded once and stepped away from her, taking one step back and placing his hands in his pockets. He did not take his eyes off of her. Again, that feeling that not all was right crept up on her.

"Ben? What's wrong?"

"I'd hoped you'd agree with me." He let out a heavy breath and ruffled through his hair, getting it messed. He turned his head to the door and then, from the top of his lungs, shouted: "Guards!"

Mal took a step closer to him. "What are you doing?" she asked calmly. Ben didn't listen to her.

"I'm sorry this is how it's going to go," and then, back to the door. "Guards! Help!"

Sooner rather than later, Mal put the pieces together. It went too easily – surely someone like Uma would have a plan B, one that would get a mole inside the building and take the staff for her.

"What about her?" Ben asked and shrugged, still taking steps away from her. "She wants the staff. Someone needs to take it to her."

There was nothing Mal could say. Like Melinda, like Carlos, like all the others in her crew, Uma had cast a spell on Ben, one he could barely escape from. It broke her heart to see him like that – a puppet to a villain, but still aware. She could see the regret in his eyes. He had resolved to taking the staff peacefully, but she had made that impossible. Uma wanted the staff and Mal refused to hand it to her; someone indeed would have to take it to her.

Mal remained silent and unmoving as the guards stormed in. Ben's demeanor immediately changed from calm to shocked and shaken.

"Is everything okay?" one of them asked. Ben pointed at her.

"Just take her." Mal did not fight back an cooperated. She could easily fight her way back to the Ben and stop him, but she didn't. She'd give Ben exactly what he wanted: an enemy to focus on while he would deliver the staff to Uma. He wasn't going to give him what she wanted, even if that included not fighting the guards.

Miles also walked through the door. Mal's face lit up, but she kept quiet. If anyone was going to believe her, it was him. Though, in this context, she wasn't even sure whether he would agree with her at all.

"What's going on?" Miles asked Ben.

"Uma happened," Ben said. "She... Uma and Mal came closer. Mal gave a fake staff and I could've sworn I heard her say something, cast a spell. She's powerful, and maybe she'd mastered casting spells since she came to the mainland. She wanted to take the staff, but I advised against it. She tried to stop me, but I... it seems I'm right on time now."

"Uma cast a spell on him," Mal said calmly. "He's twisting the story. C'mon, Miles, would I ever let anyone wield the staff?" She then turned her face to Ben. "Someone better tie you up until the spell's worn off."

Ben walked closer again. In his eyes, she saw love and regret and more emotions, uncertain that anything was ever going to be the same again. He was still him, though loyal to Uma. He hadn't wanted it that way, but now Mal did want it. It hopefully made him realize that this was just bullshit and that he wouldn't have to do anything like this. But this was magic, and sometimes love wasn't enough to break it.

He placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry, but this has to happen." He turned his attention to the guards. "Take her to the dungeon. I... need to be alone for a moment." The guards nodded their heads and they walked away with Mal, each having a hold on one arm. They passed Miles, who still had a confused look in his face, and Mal stared at him. He remained silent, in the hopes of giving Miles a hint that it indeed was Ben who has been enchanted and not Mal. He should realize Mal would never allow this to happen if she had a specific mission in mind and had been pressured to do something she wasn't comfortable doing to do something she was under pressure of doing.

They walked down the castle, into the hallway and going down, ever down. After a while, They let go of Mal and she had to walk in between them so that they would keep an eye on her so they could stop holding her. They were afraid, they realized. Any sane person would be.

"Do you believe him?" Mal asked, hoping she put all of her innocence in her voice. The guards didn't answer. Oh well, she could always try.

They opened the cell and Mal walked inside. There were no tricks, nothing mal would do to keep something or to escape. She would stay down here for long enough. Ben seemed conflicted enough, it would take him a little while before he made his final decision. This bought Mal time to figure out a way to escape that didn't incriminate her.

Oh, who was she kidding? Any escape attempt would incriminate her.


	15. Heathen

_Give me the balls to orchestrate a graceful leave_  
 _That's my reprieve_  
 _To go out_  
 _Without care_  
 _My head high in the air_  
 _It's the last little mountain I'll climb_  
 _I'll climb_

 **You gotta die sometimes (Falsettos)**

* * *

All seemed well. It went according to the plan. Of course, they knew the possibility that Mal would trick them somehow was real, and they had anticipated this.

Ben had eaten the apple. He couldn't resist the hunger any longer. Gil couldn't bear to watch another soul to be corrupted by Uma.

"Hey, Gil. Why the long face?" Harry approached his friend and put an arm around his shoulders. There was a triumphant smile on his face. "Everything's going fine."

"Is it, though?" Gil muttered under his breath, but loud enough so that Harry could hear it.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" he said the smile disappearing. He seemed concerned. "You've been acting so weird lately. What's getting you down?"

Harry seemed genuinely concerned, but that sentiment was going to change as soon as Gil would start to doubt Uma. His next words had to be chosen carefully.

Gil looked at Harry. He wished that he could just outright tell him what he was going to do, but that wasn't an option. Not here, not now.

"I'm fine." That usually did the trick. But the dry delivery prompted Harry to tilt his head and a frown briefly appeared on Harry's face. it did not take long before he adopted his indifferent again.

"You could keep quiet and suffer," he said, "or tell me and at least feel glad that you don't have to keep it inside you any longer."

Gil realized he made a mistake. The disinterest had slipped through and made it into his speech, which Harry had picked up on. Now the pirate's son wasn't going to be satisfied until he had received a proper answer.

Gil sighed. "I'm… not fine."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Harry said, placing his arm around Gil's shoulders. "So, what's up?" Harry's eyes seemed to stare into his soul. He wanted an answer, and he was going to get one.

"Can we do this in private?" Gil asked, finally giving in to the silent demand Harry had been making. He glanced over the field, where people were within earshot and probably had picked up on this part of the conversation. It wasn't the ideal situation, hence trying to continue in private?

Harry shrugged. "Sure." They walked into the city, and Gil could almost feel the crew' eyes on him. This was going to fuel some rumors, for sure, especially since Harry liked to sleep with someone other than Uma every once in a while. Yet, Gil wasn't bothered. He'd rather have them talking about him in that way than ending up dead by the end of the day.

They walked through the streets for a minute or two. Once they started to near the village center, they walked into a darkening alleyway, a calm place where they could continue their conversation.

"Alright, we're in private," Harry said, hoping to finally learn Gil's secret. "What's bothering you?"

A lot of things, some of which Gil dared not speak out loud near the captain's right-hand man. But he's prepared for this specific conversation, in case something were to happen. The scenario ran through his mind a million times, but now his mind went blank.

"I guess it's the size," he eventually said, since Harry seemed to grow impatient. He threw in some signs of shyness to make the act complete.

Harry stared at him in confusion and disbelief. "The size bothers you." He repeated the words, unsure of what to think, and briefly glancing downwards. This did not go unnoticed.

"No, I don't…" Gil paused. Somehow, continuing that sentence could only cause more rumors. "This group has gotten big. That kind of size."

As expected, Harry shrugged off his comment. "It's not bad. We're growing."

"I know. But… it used to be you, me and Uma. Just the three of us. I liked that. I've always thrived in smaller groups, anyway." There was no lie in there. He always preferred the smaller groups - it was easier to be himself. When the group grew, he found himself speaking up less, staying further from the campfire and the people and retreating in the darkness, always watching but seemingly never contributing to the conversation. He already felt blessed that Uma sometimes pulled him apart to hear his opinion on certain matters, since she could keep track of everyone else's by simply listening in, while she could not do so with him.

"What are you trying to say?" Harry asked, "That we should decimate the group?"

"What? No!" Gil shouted, panicked. "No decimating!" He should've figured Harry would make this leap in logic, even if it was an illogical one. He had not needed to assume that, because Gil liked lesser crowded groups, that they should get rid of a great portion of said group just to make him happy.

"There's nothing wrong with a big group, Gil," Harry said. "We're expanding. We're getting better people, better fighters and better diplomats. We're doing better. It's always been our goal, hasn't it?" The way he spoke about the expansion of the crew was fanatical and still controlled. He could easily look like those fanatics that could not be swayed - he even looked the part, complete with the crazy stare - but that was just the surface. Underneath, there was a cunning man who learned so much and knew how to control himself. It was the perfect advantage while fighting an enemy who previously assumed he was a blind follower and not to be taken seriously. Gil could not be fooled.

"It was our goal to make a name for ourselves," Gil said, remembering the good old days. "I don't remember taking down this alliance being included in our plans."

"You can't still be that simple," Harry said. Gil folded his arms and refused to give Harry any credibility or anything that might prove him right. "I gotta give it to you, you're right. But people change, plans change. And hey, as far as making a name for ourselves goes, we're going to accomplish that while we destroy this resistance. Two flies with one stone. It's going to be glorious." The conviction in his voice, the way he looked so proud when he talked about killing these people who were just trying to survive in a world that has been so hostile to them. Gil did not feel compassion for the heroes, but their children should at least not be held accountable for their parents' actions.

"Anything else you want to say?" Harry dared Gil to find something that could be more important than their cause and what they were trying to achieve while knowing full well that Gil did not think that way.

"You're supposed to care," Gil eventually said. Harry seemed offended.

"I do care.""About me," Gil added. He was going through mixed emotions, for he knew Harry cared more for the common cause they share than the different needs of its members.

"Like I said, I do," Harry said, "You're a great friend. We're all friends here."

Gil sighed. "That's not…" No. There was no point in fighting Harry on his beliefs. It was a fight he could not win. Without further consideration or thought of what he could say next, he just blurted it out. "I'm leaving."

Again, he only realized his mistake when he spoke the words. It was a shock to both men. Harry even shut up for a moment and blinked, dumbfounded by Gil's statement.

"Please tell me you're not actually considering it," Harry said in a monotone, unsure what to think of Gil anymore. As for Gil, there was no way he could talk his way out of it and deny his true intentions. if he lied, Harry would grab him. If he ran, Harry would chase him, catch up and kill him for trying to run away openly. It already had become clear he was more supportive of Uma and her cause than Gil. To think that once, they were the best of friends.

"I need some space," Gil explained, after letting a big sigh. "You can do your little conquest thing, but I can't. Not with my mental state. I'm going to the north, and then I'll see where I'll go. I just need a break from this." He caught a glimpse at Harry, who stood ready to jump him.

"I'll be back," Gil quickly said to appease his friend. "I promise you, I'll be back when I've sorted things out."

For a few precious moments, Harry remained stunned. His mouth hung open, and no words were coming out of it. In the end, something did come out of his mouth.

"You're serious about this." Again with the monotone. That wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Harry could still do anything. Gil nodded.

"Yes, I am," a small sympathetic smile lay on his lips. "I'm going to miss you, buddy, but I need to clear my head for a while."

Nothing happened. Then Harry slowly nodded his head.

"When will you leave?" Gil breathed out in relief. This was usually a good sign.

"As soon as I can. Probably tonight, if the weather allows it." Harry bowed his head, breathing out loudly once. When he lifted his head, he looked right into Gil's eyes.

"I won't be able to talk you out of it, will I?" Gil shook his head.

"No. I'm sorry, but this is something I've got to do." Harry looked away for a brief period of time and Gil wondered what would happen the next moment. When Harry lifted his head, he seemed defeated. That was another win on Gil's part, though he remained cautious. It was too early to call this conversation successful.

"I see." Gil's initial cautious euphoria crashed and burned. there was only one thought in his head: run.

He did not even have that chance. Harry punched him in the face, successfully disorienting his former friend. Harry grabbed Gil's arm and pulled it over his shoulders. For the next minute, he would have to carry Gil like this while he tried to overcome the state he'd been put in.

It took him longer than expected and only could pay full attention again when they almost left the city behind him, walking down the last street. Some crew members already came into view.

Fear washed over Gil. He couldn't escape - Harry had a firm grip on the arm and he wouldn't be afraid to break it if Gil tried to run. He couldn't count on the help of some decent people since their decency was washed away since they started to eat those apples.

"Harry," Gil began, tried to slow them down. "Harry, please don't do this."

"I'm sorry, but you're giving me no choice," Harry responded. He took larger steps, leaving Gil to stumble over his feet while having to keep up with the pace Harry decided.

"Harry, please," Gil tried one last time. If he could, he would've sat on his knees and clasped his hands together. But Harry did not listen.

"Uma!" Harry shouted. The first heads already turned to them. "I've got a traitor!" The whispers began, and everyone voiced their own opinion of thoughts. Carlos kept his mouth shut.

Gil became more desperate with every passing second. "Damn it, Harry, have you been eating apples?"

"Not a chance," Harry replied resolutely, not even looking at Gil when he answered that question.

Uma walked out of her tent. She looked around and turned her head to Harry. Gil believed she hadn't thought of him as a traitor, surprised and possibly shocked Harry pushed him forward as someone who'd betray them. With one glare, she directed the two to her tent. Harry shoved Gil in there and the son of Gaston stumbled. He nearly fell. When he turned around, Uma and Harry had also entered the tent.

"What is going on?" She asked, only a hint of confusion in her tone. Before he could say anything, Harry spoke up.

"He wanted to leave."

Gil shook his head. "That's not true." But Harry ignored it.

"He confessed it to me."

Uma glanced from Harry to Gil. The son of Gaston considered himself lucky that he stumbled upon them when they didn't know each other so well, before the trio would've been the duo and Gil as the third wheel. If the latter were the case, we would've been dead three times over.

"Explain yourself," Uma said, and Gil sighed in relief. She wanted to hear his side of the story, thank goodness.

"Honestly, I feel useless," Gil said. "With such a big group, it's getting hard to breathe and actually do anything even remotely useful. Harry has it wrong. I want to get away from this for a while, not forever, to take a breather, to learn some useful skill and to come back when I'm fully committed to the cause again."

"So you're not committed right now?" Uma asked. No, I'm not, and I won't be until you release at least half of your victims and steer away from the destruction of those innocent people.

"Not exactly," Gil answered, keeping his thoughts to his own. "I've got my own sanity to worry about, so backing your plans doesn't get as much attention as it should. I'm sorry for being so down, but I can't help it."

For a moment, there was silence, and fear crept up on Gil. She wasn't looking at him. Any look would be better than none.

"Uma, you know me," Gil added, in an attempt to make her not consider killing him. When she glanced at him, there was regret on her face.

"I'm sorry."

Gil slumped his shoulders. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, while she averted her eyes. A smile appeared on Harry's face, but Gil ignored it, instead focusing on Uma.

"Why?"

"Harry yelled it for everyone to hear," was her explanation. "He gives me no choice."

"Whatever you do, they'll support you," Gil said. "Whether he forced your hand or not. They'll eat the apples. I don't have to die to prove a point."

Uma turned her head and a hardened gaze to Gil. "But an example every once in a while will keep them in line when they break free." Not if. When. As if Uma knew that someone was going to break free sooner or later, as if she knew that Gil had been talking to members and suggesting they stop eating the apples. His cause was a lost one.

Uma glanced at Harry. "You know what you need to do."

Harry now grinned widely and rubbed his hands before forcefully grabbing Gil again and pushing him out of the tent. He did not have to force Gil to walk with him.

"You don't have to do this," Gil said, not even trying to struggle with any more than his own words.

"Uma's the captain," Harry said from beside him. "Her word is law."

"Are you sure you haven't eaten an apple?"

"I don't touch those." Harry pushed Gil forward, and Gil had no choice but to let Harry push him around. Harry looked at a small crowd of three people forming.

"Gather round!" he shouted. "Spread the word! This traitor's got to go!" The three went their separate ways to tell their friends and make sure that the entire crew would be here within a span of minutes.

Something in the back of his mind, something Gil had thought he pushed away, resurfaced. During what seemed to be his last moments, he had to spend them well. He had only one chance to voice them. It needed to be said. At least, he'd be able to die without worries and without regretting not ever mentioning it.

"Something's wrong between you and Uma," Gil eventually said. Harry dramatically turned to Gil, an amused smile on his lips.

"What, are you jealous of us now?"

Gil shook his head. "Not at all. But it doesn't make sense that she saved you from that storm."

Gil did not tread with caution as he usually would. The storm that led to Uma and Harry's meeting was the only good result after a hellish experience on the sea when he tried to get to Auradon on a boat during a heavy storm. Harry did not like to talk about it and neither did Uma, but while she seemed bitter at the memory, Harry was outright mad if anyone mentioned.

Somehow, Harry did not lash out. It could be the prospect of having to kill him that made him patient - the same prospect that made Gil this rude.

"And what exactly does not make sense?" Harry said, close to yelling.

"The timeline. You drown in the middle of the night, but the sun shines when you wake up?" Gil shook his head. "C'mon, somewhere you must know that this is not right."

A crowd had gathered, ready to see the traitor die. Many glared angrily, while some were just surprised and confused. Uma had left her tent again but did not come any closer, preferring to watch the spectacle from afar. It was time for the show to start.

"I was unconscious," Harry told Gil. "That's the end of it."

And then, Harry paid no more attention to Gil, who was forced on his knees. Gil was given all the freedom to run, but he did not. Every traitor before them, just two, had run in a chance to escape. It somehow proved the point and justified the killing. So Gil would do no such thing. While he sat on his knees, he looked at the crowd, trying to get a good look at each of their faces while Harry spoke.

"This man, who stood by our side from the very beginning, has expressed the idea of leaving us, using the guise of mental health as a means to escape. Sure, he doesn't thrive in big groups, but we're not a group. We're family. He does not see this and wishes to leave. But you don't just leave your family behind. If he went, he probably would've never come back. His father is Gaston - he never cared for much other than personal gain, and I believe his son has inherited that trait."

With every spoken word, the crowd agreed. He built up to a climax, to make these people really want it.

Two faces stood out. Two people did not cheer Harry on and did not join in on the generally hostile atmosphere. On one side, far to the right, stood Carlos. He held his arms folded in front of his chest and watched without saying a word. He seemed indifferent about the situation. Gil had no idea what to think about that. On the other hand, there was Melinda, who stood next to Archie and had to fight hard to fight back tears. Just proved to show that behind that tough girl, there was a soft heart. This sight in particular gave him hope. He realized with one look that she had put away an apple. There was hope that she could at least tell Mal and friends what was going to happen. There was hope that she could free Archie and flee together. There was, unfortunately, also the hope that she would never get caught by Harry.

"Now it's time that he is put to justice," Harry yelled, and the crowd roared in agreement. Harry pulled his sword from its sheath and glanced at Gil. Harry paused for only a few moments, then he spoke. "This brings me no pleasure."

But there still was that evil grin on his face that would suggest otherwise.

"Then don't do it," Gil said. Harry did not contemplate that decision.

"Nah. You've got to go." Without wasting any more time, he pierced Gil's heart. Gil did not scream. Only a grunt left his lips. After the metal made contact with his flesh, he only had one second, which seemed to pass way too slowly. He glanced at Harry and that appalling smile on his face. His mind made one last coherent thought: I'll be back.

Then the light went out. Harry drew his sword back and the body dropped to the ground. An example was set.


	16. Dungeon

_When I'm standing in the fire_

 _I will look him in the eye_

 _And I will let the devil know that_

 _I was brave enough to die_

 _And there's no hell that he can show me_

 _That's deeper than my pride_

 _Cause I will never be forgotten_

 **Somebody to die for (Hurts)**

* * *

Mal was thrown in the dungeon. The guards threw her in rather roughly and slammed the door behind her. Mal got up and walked to it, closing her hands around two bars and watching the guards leave. Only when the wooden door was closed did Mal take a step back and look around carefully. There had to be a flaw in the design somewhere…

But there wasn't. Of course there wasn't, Maleficent had probably thought of every way to escape. She might have even modeled it after the Isle where she was initially imprisoned, but that was all speculation. Mal had never asked her mother what exactly made her dungeon so secure.

"Did it hurt?" Mal turned around. In the cell across hers sat a girl who hadn't seen the sunlight in six months. Her hair seemed to have lost all color, especially in the cells that blocked out the sun. It was straight and seemingly lifeless. She'd lost a couple of pounds, even though Ben made sure that she was well-fed.

"What?" Mal said. She hadn't thought that the girl would speak up.

"Did it hurt?" Audrey repeated herself. "It looked painful."

"Shut up."Mal did not want to talk to her. So what if it hurt a little? It was to be expected when they thought that Mal had gone evil again.

"I'm sorry. Did I strike a nerve?"

"If you don't mind, I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of here." If Audrey would just shut up, that would be great. Mal could focus and then, she could finally save Ben from the spell placed upon him. She just hoped it wasn't too late.

"What's going on out there?" Audrey asked, genuinely curious about the happenings above her. Mal didn't know whether she received any information about the current situations, and she scoffed.

"Like you care."

"I do." Audrey sounded serious. She turned her whole body towards Mal and the dragon's daughter noticed she didn't give any hints that would point towards evilness. "They were family, too," Audrey added in a softer voice.

"You worked with my mother." Which was enough reason to just let her be. She made her choice, not she had to live with the consequences.

"Not by choice." Audrey paused and then looked away from Mal. "If you want to escape, I can't help."

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Mal asked. It was always worth a shot. Audrey could be useful in that way, telling her what won't work so she could focus on trying out the things that could potentially work.

"I haven't tried." Mal stopped in her tracks and turned her head to Audrey. Was she lying? It didn't sound like it.

Curiosity took the better of Mal. "Do you like being here?"

"I don't mind being here," Audrey clarified. "Not after what I did. Besides, I have to atone somehow. So, what's going on up there?"

Mal didn't know what it was. It could be the confession that Audrey was good sitting in her cell, or maybe the choice of words. Either way, Mal was more open to talking to her now.

"Let's say Ben is going to make a big mistake." At that point, Mal did not have any reason to say what was going on. She was still too focused on getting out of here to give any more details.

Audrey perked up. "Ben?"

"Ursula's daughter bewitched him," Mal said. A bit more context for her would not hurt. "He follows her orders now and is going to bring her my mother's staff." Audrey's face paled even more, if that was even possible.

"That's not a mistake, that's a catastrophe," Audrey said. She did not say anything else and thought about something. Mal noticed after a while that Audrey was silent. When Mal was done looking for gaps or holes in the dungeons, she heard the silence and glanced at Audrey.

How was she doing? She'd been in here for six months and that was already a huge indicator of her health. Despite her pale complex, she seemed healthy. And she also did not despair about her situation. So far, Mal had expected Audrey to manipulate her into letting her go, or that she'd try to hurt her with words to slow down Mal's escape. So far, Audrey had just been wondering whether Mal was hurt and told her that she couldn't help her out, with the implications that she would've if she found something. On top of that, she did not want to leave.

People change in the dungeon; Mal had seen the effects first-hand many times. How much had it changed Audrey?

"How are you doing?" Mal eventually asked. Audrey turned her head to Mal and frowned.

"Do you really want to know?" It wasn't anger or caution that spoke, but surprise. How many times had she been asked that question?

Mal shrugged. "We have time." She sat down near the bars and looked at Audrey. Ben couldn't have gotten far, anyway. There were no other magic-users in the castle that could take him to Uma immediately.

"I'm… okay. Not fine, but not not-fine either." Audrey explained. She straightened her back. "I made my big mistake and I now suffer the consequences." She sat there. Not quite proud of her actions, but her dignity intact.

"How did it happen?" Mal asked. It wasn't the greatest question, but she had to know how Audrey could have fallen so hard and failed her father. She was curious and wanted to know what Audrey had done.

"I insisted on going on a mission with Chad about two years ago," A small smile appeared on her face. Despite the consequences, it was one she seemed to be fond of. "Father wouldn't let me, but I went anyway. We came across her. She paralyzed Chad, killed the others and took me hostage. Philip must've been so mad that they allowed me to get captured." Her smile faded from her face as she pictured her father scolding Chad for letting her out of his sight. A frown appeared on Audrey's face.

"Then my memories are hazy. She brought me here, to that cell." Audrey lifted her arm and pointed to the cell to the wall on Mal's side of the big room. Audrey's former cell. "I thought I'd never get out. I also thought I'd break immediately, but I was wrong both times. She… tortured me, then did something to me. I became loyal. It must be something similar to what that witch gave Ben." The way she spoke about that day, it could be anything. Maleficent could have tortured her to break and be loyal. A spell could've helped, or she could've given Audrey some magic potion.

Mal nodded once. "Possibly." There were several possibilities. In Maleficent's case, she liked to use spells and enchantments. They had no idea what Uma preferred and which spell or potion she'd subjected Ben to.

"I spied for her, sabotaged some missions and did some horrible things. But it wore off. I started seeing her less and less and I just stopped working for her. When you came to the alliance, I could only stare. I didn't know whether you knew about me. I didn't know if you would tell them." Audrey glanced at Mal, and the dragon's daughter decoded it as a question, asking her whether she knew about Audrey's spy status."

"I didn't know," Mal admitted. "I mean, I knew something was up with you, but mother never outright told me." Audrey nodded once, hopefully happy with that answer. She continued her story but averted her eyes from Mal.

"When the beasts attacked, Maleficent captured me again. Put me under the same spell. She put me in armor and told me what to do and once again, I couldn't help but obey her. Except this time, I was fully aware that I was betraying my family. I killed Chad and many others." A tear rolled down her cheek and her voice cracked. "I'll never forget those moments. They are the reason why I can't leave. I need to pay for my sins."

"It never crossed your mind to tell anyone after the spell wore off?" Mal wondered. When Audrey turned her head to Mal again, she could see the tear-stained cheeks and red eyes in the light of the torches.

"Of course it did," she said. "I was afraid of their reactions, afraid that they would shun me. I should've told them before those beasts attacked. Then maybe Chad…" Audrey shook her head. She wouldn't allow herself to finish that sentence. Instead, she changed the subject.

"How's my father?"

"He buried Chad and left," Mal said. There was no reason to keep this information from her. "We don't know where he is. For all we know, he could be dead."

"He's not dead. I can feel it." Audrey was convinced, and something in her demeanor told Mal that she would not hear any other truth. As far as she was concerned, her father lives. A nice thought, though there was no way of knowing whether it was actually true or not.

"Enough talk," Audrey then said. She stood up for the first time. As suspected, she had lost a few pounds, but she did not look less of a warrior. "You need to get out of here. Make sure Ben doesn't make the same mistakes I made."

"I'll try. But mother was smart." Mal grabbed the bars again. There was that pulse again that she previously felt. A sure way to stop people from beating her mother at her own game. "There are enchantments on the bars."

"You can't get out using magic," Audrey stated and Mal nodded. Maleficent had built an impenetrable line of defense that could not be crossed by those already inside. She'd do everything to keep her prisoners in check.

"There has to be another way out," Mal said. Maleficent was brilliant, but there had to be something she had overlooked. There had to be something she'd forgotten, or there should at least be a flaw in her design… however small it could be, there had to be one.

Audrey spoke up once more. "Let's find it together."

* * *

How much time had passed? Mal could not tell. All she knew that precious time was wasting away and that she and Audrey had spent all of their time together trying to figure out how to get out. It was certainly easier said than done since Maleficent had thought of everything. There was just no way anyone could escape from the dungeons on their own.

From behind the wooden door that would lead them to their freedom, there came some noise that caught the attention of both girls. Swords were clashing and some older men were shrieking. Something was attacking them - and winning.

At one point, the noises stopped and Mal tensed up. Whatever happened next, they could always come for her. The wooden door creaked loudly and Mal backed away, to create as much space as she could between her and her potential enemy.

The redhead came through the door and immediately caught Mal's attention.

"Miles?" It was nice to see him unharmed, but there was no way he beat up the guards. Unless…

"Hi! I brought a friend." He rushed to her door, followed closely by Lonnie.

"I've got the keys," the warrior said as she tried to find the right one that belonged to Mal's cell. Incredulous, Mal turned her head to Miles.

"I thought you didn't believe me." The look on his face had made that much clear.

"You're right, I didn't," Miles admitted, "Until I caught him carrying the staff 'somewhere safe'. Ben's going to bring it to Uma, isn't he? He's quite the convincing liar. So, I consulted with Lonnie."

Lonnie had found the right key and she placed it inside the keyhole, turning it. The bars scraped over the floor and made an unholy noise, but they could ignore it all. Mal stepped out of the dungeon cell and instantly felt her connection to her magic again. She had no idea that she could miss such a fundamental, ever-present and nearly undetectable aspect of her life.

"I could confirm he was acting strange," Lonnie said. "We tried to get here sooner, but we were held up."

"Basically, the guards now think you enchanted us to rescue you," Miles said. As though on cue, there came more noise from the guards that Lonnie had previously beaten in combat. They were waking up.

"Then we need to get out of here," Mal said.

Before they could leave, four guards ran into the dungeon. Three held swords, while one had a gun in his hands - one of few modern weapons the alliance had taken. They were not ready to let the prisoner and her two 'minions' get away. On the other side, Mal wasn't going to let anyone stand in the way of her saving Ben and retrieving the staff before bad things happened.

Mal pointed her hand at them. "Dormite!"

The guards stopped in their tracks and fell down to the grounds as if someone had cut their strings. Lonnie walked up to the nearest one and placed two fingers on his neck. After a few moments, Lonnie stood up and turned to the group again.

"They're sleeping," she said. Mal did not apologize for the spell in itself - she had used the first one that came to mind - she did feel uncomfortable with the parallels that could be drawn. Miles had noticed it, too.

"How ironic it may be," Miles said, "We need to go now."

"How long ago did he leave?" Mal asked.

"About an hour or four ago," Lonnie said. Mal's face turned pale. That's the amount of time needed to reach the village by galloping horse. He could already be there. They had to leave now.

But first… Mal turned her head to the other prisoner.

"Audrey?" It was an invitation, but Audrey shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said. "Good luck. Please save Ben."

"I will," Mal said. Without further hesitation, she transported them away from the castle and to the battlefield.


	17. It's going down

_Let's go, bring it on_

 _Better give us what we want_

 _It's the wand for the crown_

 _If you don't, it's going down_

 _Let's go, make your move_

 _Peace or war, it's up to you_

 _Give him up and do it now_

 _If you don't, it's going down_

 **It's going down (Descendants 2)**

* * *

When they arrived on the field, Miles stumbled on his feet while Mal and Lonnie were able not to fall. This was on a hillside, so of course, it would not be easy to keep your balance. Miles quickly stood up again.

"Next time you're doing this," he said, "Please drop me off somewhere else before immediately going to the battle."

He pointed in front of him. Lonnie and Mal followed his finger.

They stood relative close to Uma's crew - or, at least half of it. The other half must be somewhere in the village. On the other side of the field, far from them and Uma's crew was Ben, coming closer on horseback, the staff in one hand and the reins in the other.

Their presence did not go unnoticed, especially after Miles had made that rather loud comment. They turned their heads towards them, and especially Uma and Harry seemed pissed.

Within the crowd stood Carlos, and Mal easily spotted them. His hair wasn't slicked back anymore. Instead, it did not have any gel in it anymore. It could be a statement, knowing Carlos, but it might as well be nothing. There was no telling what Carlos would and wouldn't do while loyal to Uma.

"Get them!" Uma yelled and her crowd roared.

"Miles…" Mal said.

"On it," he said, and he ran to the tree near them, hiding behind it. He wasn't a fighter, so staying there would be the most beneficial for everyone. Lonnie drew her sword and she and Mal readied themselves for the fight.

And still… Mal did not want to fight. Not while Ben was getting closer and closer to bringing the staff to Uma. That could not happen.

The first few crew members had arrived, and Mal and Lonnie fought them.

* * *

Melinda tensed up when Mal and her friends arrived. This was something that could've been anticipated, but it still came as a surprise when they did arrive.

Everyone around her grabbed their weapon. Melinda drew an arrow and placed it in the arrow rest of her bow, but only because everyone readied themselves for battle.

"Attack!" Uma shouted. The closest few to the enemy ran towards them, having no regard for what was going on behind them. Melinda drew her bow and aimed. Within a split second, Melinda made her choice and let go.

The arrow pierced through the air and stuck itself deep in the leg of one of Lonnie's attackers. With a loud yell, he fell to the ground, but nobody saw the arrow. Everyone focused on Lonnie and did not think it was Melinda who was hurting their own men.

Three more arrows flew through the air. Only after the fourth did people start to notice something was wrong. Melinda was about to reload when she looked aside.

Melinda froze. In front of her stood Archie, his sword drawn. Everyone else focused on Lonnie or Mal.

One moment, they just stared at each other. Sadness washed over her - she was sad Archie did not have a choice in the matter. Archie's face did not betray any emotion, and Melinda could only guess what he was feeling right.

"You're one of them," he said, his voice and heart breaking at the same time. Melinda straightened her back.

"I don't want to hurt you." She raised her weapon, putting an arrow in place. "Don't make me do this."

"You did this to yourself," Archie responded and a fight broke out between them.

Carlos, on his side, crippled two and declared them enemies, claiming they attacked him first. A couple of goons listened and started to beat their friends. The poor victims screamed, imploring them to stop, but the assaulters did not listen. Carlos walked away and went forward, to create more chaos and hopefully help out Mal in little ways.

Uma had kept him a slave to her will. She was going to pay for that.

Harry Hook blocked his way. "Where are you going?"

"To the fight," Carlos said, the knife in his hand. His crossbow wasn't here, so he'd have to do with a knife. When Carlos stepped aside, Harry followed his lead.

"I saw you," he said. "I knew you couldn't be trusted."

He swung his sharp hook and Carlos only just managed to jump away. From that moment on, Carlos and Harry only had eyes for each other as they fought.

Melinda hit the ground. Archie had pushed her over and made her fall on her back. Her head was spinning and Archie had a madman's look in his eyes. He towered over her, looking down.

"Do it," Melinda said. ""I forgive you."

Archie placed the point of his sword on her stomach. She made peace with her death and looked at Archie with forgiving.

Archie's grip on the hilt tightened. He breathed heavily and stared intensely at his lover. Melinda could feel it on her stomach, but Archie delayed pushing the sword down and killing her.

He removed the blade from her body. Melinda glanced up at Archie, both equally as confused about the situation.

"I can't," he panted. The sword dropped to the floor. Archie shook his head. "I can't do it."

Warily, Melinda stood up. She should check her environment for attackers, but she only had eyes for Archie. Despite the enchanted apples and his faux loyalty for Uma, his love for her prompted him not to kill her.

"Go," he said. "Please."

Before Melinda could run, she stared at him. He did the same

Archie grimaced and placed a hand on his stomach, glancing down. The confused look in his eyes worried Melinda. He looked at her once more and then collapsed.

Melinda cried out and sat on her knees next to Archie, rushing to his side. She pushed him and tried waking him up and reanimating him. It was to no avail. Archie had been dead before he hit the ground.

It had been Uma, who had seen it unfold. The moment he dropped the sword was the moment she cast a curse that would make his insides bleed. So much internal damage would inevitably lead to death. She had also sped up the progress and did not curse Melinda, to teach her and anyone else a lesson to never cross the sea witch's daughter.

* * *

 _Almost there,_ Mal thought. She just had to disable three more guys and then she'd reached Uma herself. Three more and Uma and then she could just take the staff from Ben. At least he hadn't used it himself. He wouldn't be here if he had used it. That was at least one positive thing that happened these days…

"Lonnie!" Mal stopped in her tracks. Miles. She glanced at Uma, who was grinning widely. Mal turned her head, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

Miles had a hook on his neck, Harry smiling like a madman. About four yards away, Carlos was picked up by two of the goons before he could stand up himself. They each held an arm. Mal looked back at Miles. He looked so helpless and afraid, and yet he did not scream. He bravely stood there, Harry holding him in check.

"Drop your weapons, hands in the air," Harry shouted, though he did not have to. Lonnie dropped her weapon immediately and Mal, though feeling like resisting would be better, put her hands at the height of her head. Someone came up beside her and tied her wrists together, while someone else did the same with Lonnie. They were turned around so they could see Uma. From the corner of her eye, Mal saw how Melinda let her former allies bind her, too, all the while not taking her eyes off of Archie.

The five of them were lead before Uma and forced to sit on their knees. Uma walked past them, a satisfied smile on her face.

"You should know better than to mess with me," Uma said. "I always get what I want."

"Not today," Mal replied. "Believe me, that staff isn't going to give you anything."

"We'll see about that." Harry joined Uma again and they shared a little kiss before turning to their newest crew member. Ben had reached them and stepped off the horse he had ridden here. With the staff in his hands, he approached Uma.

"Ben." He stopped. "Don't."

Ben turned his head to Mal, who had spoken. She shook his head, while he sighed and looked at her longingly.

"I have to," he said. "You'll see. This is the only way we can be together and not receive death threats from friends."

So that was what this was about. Ben was still put under that loyalty spell or potion, no doubt, but he truly believed he was doing himself and Mal a favor. Sure, a villain kid and the son of the Beast - not exactly a match anyone saw coming. Mal was already a social outcast among villains and Ben had alienated himself by choosing her. Mal never knew about death threats. Maybe he thought about the future, or maybe this has been something he's been keeping from her. Either way, he was trying to protect her in this twisted way.

Ben handed the staff to an overjoyed Uma.

"Finally! We have the staff." Uma held the staff high for all to see. She and her friends cheered. They gathered around their captain and first mate. For a brief moment, nobody paid attention to them.

"Run," Mal said. "What'll happen next, won't be pretty."

"I'm not leaving you or Ben behind," Lonnie said and she nodded.

"I'm with her," Miles said. "Besides, you might need me."

"Which is why you need to run," Mal said. But Miles wasn't getting up. He and Lonnie had made up their minds. Mal looked to her right. Melinda sat there, head bowed. Whatever happened to her during the fight, she probably was not in the right place to make a decision. Either that or she already had made her decision and decided not to run.

The only one who actually listened to her was Carlos. He had learned to blindly trust Mal's instincts during their friendships together.

"We have a runner!" Harry shouted. A couple of crew members turned their head and wanted to go after him.

"Let him be!" Uma yelled. That was all she needed to stop them. "With this, we will be able to find him wherever he goes. But first, let's lift this curse."

Everyone roared again in support of Uma's plans. They made way so that Uma had enough space to do what she had to do. It also provided a way for Mal to see what was going on. Uma planted the staff in the ground, still holding on to it, and she recited a spell in an old language Mal did not understand. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. It was already too late.

By the time Uma was done reciting her spell, the wind had already picked up and the sky was darkening. Most of Uma's goons had no idea this was not part of the spell and watched in wonder, while some became rather nervous with this development.

The staff started to shake and emitted a low buzzing sound. Uma let go of it and took a step back, but nothing more than that. A purple aura encapsulated the staff as the buzzing grew louder.

As soon as Mal saw the purple, she turned her back on the staff and made herself as small as possible. Next to her, Lonnie and Miles tried to do the same.

They weren't fast enough. No second later, lightning struck and a magical blast wave washed over them, hitting them with so much power, equal to what the gods of Olympus could do. Everything turned black.

* * *

Carlos woke up with his hands untied. In a daze, he sat up and placed a hand on his head. When he opened his eyes, his arm was red, blood dripping down. He pulled the hand away and looked from his elbow to his hand. There was a large cut in his arm where the rope sat that kept his hands tied. The sharp stone in front of him was also clad in blood, and the rope lay near it.

Carlos looked around. Where he looked, people were laying on the ground, but nothing pointed to something actually happening. What had happened again?

He'd been running. Storm clouds gathered and some blast hit him on his back. He stumbled forward, knowing that this was no usual weather phenomenon. The impact with the ground must have knocked him out for a while.

There were bodies everywhere, and Carlos had no idea how many of these people were only unconscious. Some red curls caught his attention.

Melinda. Carlos stood up, hobbled up to her and fell over when he almost reached her. Nevertheless, he persisted and came to her.

She was awake, for now. She lay on her back and was not moving. Carlos couldn't help but stare at her stomach, through which a thin tree stump was pierced.

Carlos tried to reach for her shoulders, to hopefully pull her off of the stump. But Melinda shook her head.

"Don't," she said. Immediately, Carlos pulled away. It could be the aftershocks of Uma's apples or the blast hitting him, but he did not help her anymore. Her wishes had to be respected.

"You need help," Carlos said.

"It'll be too late," Melinda said. She grabbed Carlos' sleeve and stared at him intensely. "Find Arthur. Tell him his son died a hero's death. Please."

Carlos nodded. "I'll tell him." He had no idea whether he could keep this promise. The Arthur she was referring to, was Archie's father, King Arthur. He hadn't been sighted in years if he even was still alive. The fact that Madam Mim's daughter managed to ensnare the young Pendragon was a miracle, for nobody even knew that Arthur had a son.

Melinda's grip on his sleeve loosened and she started to lose consciousness.

"No!" Carlos took her head with one hand. "Stay awake."

Melinda jerked awake and her grip tightened just slightly. But she looked like her mind was still going to be pulled under.

If Melinda had wanted to say something, she did not get a chance. She's opened her mouth, but then it closed again and Melinda slipped away. She let go of Carlos' sleeve.

He placed two fingers on her neck. She was still breathing, but it was so slow. Her heart was barely beating and it would not take long before it stopped.

Carlos got up again and left Melinda. Turning around and stumbling back to the main site, it only took ten steps to find it. The staff was the only thing that stood upright, and Mal seemed to be the only one unaffected by the blast wave. She stood and looked around at the chaos around her and what the staff had caused. Maybe it did not harm her because she was Maleficent's daughter.

The staff… Carlos felt his gaze drawn towards it. It wasn't buzzing anymore, but Carlos could still feel it, like you feel a bass line in your bones. It was the one thing that demanded his attention and soon, he'd forgotten the peril that Melinda was in. Or rather, he focused on the staff and figured that if he wielded it, he could command it to heal Melinda. It was a beacon for dark magic - surely it could heal wounds that were beyond healing. He took steps in its direction.

"Carlos." He turned his head to Mal, who walked closer to him, shock on her face. "What happened?" He glanced at his arm again. He had forgotten to put something in it. It was leaking a lot of blood onto his arm and clothes. He ripped a piece of fabric off of his shirt and bound it around the wound, hopefully stopping him from bleeding out.

"That thing," he looked at the staff again. Now he was certain, it was calling out for him. A couple more steps and he had it in his hand. This did not go unnoticed.

"No," she said, "We can't have another catastrophe." Mal walked up to it and, with some hesitation, took the staff in her hands. Mal shuddered and promptly, the staff went quiet. Carlos did not feel attracted to it anymore. That was probably a good move.

He looked left and saw Lonnie laying on the ground, a gash in her head. She wasn't moving. Carlos winced. Not another one. Of course, it was hard to expect this blast wave not to make any casualties, but allies of his shouldn't suffer for someone else's mistakes. He did not even approach her - in his mind, it was best not to think too much about what could happen.

Mal noticed him staring at Lonnie. For a split second, she did not do anything and then, she pointed her staff to the girl. Carlos took a few steps back and watched Mal. She said something under breath and Carlos turned his head to Lonnie.

In front of his eyes, the wound on her head closed up and healed quickly. Either that or time was being rewound on that particular spot without regard for previously shed blood. With a big gasp, Lonnie awakened. Carlos helped her stand up. With one glance at Lonnie, there was no telling whether she was really fine or not. Who knew what that staff had done to her.

Carlos looked at Mal again. She looked like she was having a bad day and like she just stopped someone - or something - from draining any more life force from her.

"You okay?" Carlos asked. Mal nodded once.

"Could've been better," she said. She turned her head and Carlos knew where she was going with it. He turned his head to Lonnie.

"Can you stand?"

"Yes."

"Good." Carlos left Lonnie walked to where Mal was looking. Not much later, he found Ben. He was unconscious but had not sustained any injuries, as far as Carlos could see. Who knows, maybe he had a concussed brain and internal damage. Only time would tell whether this was true.

Carlos picked him up and dragged him back to Mal. Lonnie had also wandered off, sat on her knees near a tree and stood back up, a small body in her arms. She betrayed no pain or loss, so maybe that kid did survive. Luckily, not everyone needed to die today.

"I've got Ben," Carlos said. Lonnie soon joined them as well, a little kid in her arms.

"Miles won't like it that we leave this many behind," Lonnie said. Mal shrugged.

"We can't save them all," she said. Carlos found himself agreeing with her words. Not everyone could be saved. Not everyone had to be saved. The world would be a little better without Uma and Harry running around and wreaking havoc.

"Can you get us out of here?" Carlos asked and Mal nodded.

"I'm not that weak," she said. With the spell, she and the four others left the village and Uma's crew behind.


	18. Till the end of the line

_I can feel the draw_

 _I can feel it pulling me back_

 _It's pulling me back_

 _It's pulling me –_

 **The Draw (Bastille)**

* * *

Ben groaned when he woke up. He lifted his head and leaned it back, some hard wood on the back of his neck. He opened his eyes and saw Mal standing in front of him. What happened to him?

He backtracked his movements. Ben had taken the staff and had ridden all the way to Uma. At the last moment, Mal had appeared and had started a fight. He'd given Uma the staff. She recited a spell that would undo her curse… And then nothing. Next thing he knew, he was sitting in the chair and tied to it, while Mal was watching him with eagle eyes.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"Did Uma succeed?"

Mal shook her head. "No, she didn't."

Those words made him feel empty, defeated. Nothing had mattered, and now nothing will. This was bad news, indeed, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Mal stared at him with sad eyes.

"Why does it matter so much?" Mal asked him. "It can only bring bad news."

Ben leaned closer as much as he could. "It could bring us together." He paused. "That staff can silence everyone who disagrees with our love. I know they disapprove, good and bad. The staff can fix that."

"The staff will be locked away forever," Mal said, having folded her arms. "Nobody should have that much power."

"Uma knew how to handle it," Ben shot back at her. A sad smile appeared on Mal's face.

"This is for your own good," she said and turned around, walking away from him.

"Mal." Ben pulled his restraints, but the rope held. "You can't leave me here. Mal!"

The door fell shut behind her and Ben slumped in the chair, hoping she'd understand one day.

* * *

When Mal closed the door behind her, she let out a big sigh. He was still under influence from that apple. Not good.

"How's he doing?" Carlos leaned against the wall, watching her. Mal shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "He's still convinced the staff needs to go to Uma."

"Give it time," Carlos said, his arms folded. "He'll come around."

Mal turned her head and stared at the closed door. He probably would. He was still Ben, and at some point, he should be able to realize that his loyalty to Uma was artificial, despite the reasons he gives for working together with her leaving his moral status intact. But then there was one question that was left unanswered.

Mal looked at Carlos. "How long does it work?" In other words, when was Ben going to shake off the effects of the potion?

Carlos shrugged. "If I have to guess, about a day. Maybe a little longer."

Mal nodded. One day, possibly longer. She could live with that. It meant that the potion was already wearing off, based on when exactly Ben had taken it. In the meantime, she should try not to give in to the temptation of seeing Ben or staying with him. She wasn't looking forward to talking to an enchanted, twisted version of Ben.

"You're quite lucky." Mal turned her head to Carlos, who had spoken, and frowned.

"How am I lucky?"

"Ben," he said. "He's why you're lucky. I heard Uma talk to him. When everything else failed, she threatened to kill you.

"She couldn't have," Mal said impulsively. Not easily, at least. Carlos did not seem fazed by her answer.

"Maybe, maybe not," he said indifferently. "Either way, ben only gave in after Uma told him she would leave you two and the alliance alone - especially you - if he ate the apple. And he did."

Carlos nodded to himself. For the first time in ages, there was a hint of a small smile to be seen on his face. "You're lucky you found someone willing to sacrifice so much for you."

"Maybe," Mal responded. Maybe it wasn't always a good plan to sacrifice something. Especially one's free will wasn't worth it. But Ben did it anyway. And she would do anything to save him, too, she realized. Maybe, when the time would come, she could reach for the staff herself and do everything within her power to set things right, even if it was with the wrong tools.

She glanced at Carlos. The boy seemed melancholic as if saying this to her made him remember something else.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He shrugged, not looking at her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Mal breathed out. "How long were you with her." His body stiffened, and Mal figured she may have asked the wrong question. Maybe he wasn't ready to talk about it, or he possibly did not even want to talk about it. Either way, he had to give up whatever life he was leading to go with Uma.

"Two months and a half," he answered. He lifted his head and looked at the wall, still refusing to look her in the eyes. "I had a good life. Nobody knew what I was, but they respected me. They knew me. Then she comes along and destroys that."

Mal placed a hand on his shoulder. "You had no choice."

Carlos flicked her hand from his shoulder and looked at her intensely. "I could have not eaten that first apple. I could have run. I could've started all over again."

"But you didn't," Mal remarked. He was not just going to give in to Uma because she asked nicely. If he really did start over with a new identity, then threatening to tell everyone whom he knew wasn't a good strategy. No, there had to be a reason why he came along.

And then it clicked. "She threatened someone, didn't she?"

Carlos nodded once. "Jane. She lived in the village. Was quite new there, too. When I arrived, she's been there for about three months. She's a good person and didn't deserve to be involved in my world."

Mal nodded, but a thought did cross her mind. She had known a Jane in the alliance, the Fairy Godmother's daughter. But she has been declared missing since her mother had attacked the base camp. If she survived, she could have run and lived a normal life. She definitely looked like the kind of person that would take every chance to escape the life she's been thrust in.

If she really was the same Jane, that would be a huge coincidence. Or it would be the work of fate or destiny, bringing these two of all people together. But Mal wasn't going to ask about it, since Carlos may not know about Jane's affiliation with the alliance himself. And should Jane want to keep it secret, Mal was going to respect that wish.

"That was brave," Mal told him. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Carlos did not respond. Instead, he stared ahead of him, deep in thought. Mal could only guess what he was thinking about.

"I assume you're not sticking around," Mal eventually said. She remembered looking for him at the end of the battle six months ago and not being able to find him anywhere. She had stopped searching him, knowing he had wanted to leave and disappear. But he could not just sneak out now, and he owed her an answer.

"I can't stay," Carlos said. "Uma interrupted my sabbatical. I've got to finish it." He stood up straight, no longer leaning against the wall. He politely nodded at her.

"Good luck with Ben," he said and turned around.

Mal watched as Carlos strolled down the hallway. He'd make his way out of the castle - he knew the way out.

And Mal was left alone in the corridor, with her thoughts and emotions. She could find herself agreeing with Ben, to some extent. If someone were threatening their relationship and their lives, she wouldn't bat an eye to use magic to solve the problem. But their lives weren't at risk, and Uma was never meant to wield Maleficent's staff.

There were footsteps coming closer. Mal could hear the steps echoing in the hallway. She did not look. It could be Miles, finally having convinced his friends to let him go out of the med bay to see Ben. It could be Lonnie, here to offer moral support. It could be her guest, who had told her she'd come as soon as she could. Whoever it was, they would probably make themselves known.

"Mal!" the dragon's daughter turned her head and a smile of relief appeared on her face.

"Evie!" It was indeed her, standing in the corridor, a sympathetic smile on her face. The blue-haired girl walked closer towards her and then pulled Mal into a big hug.

Mal embraced Evie like there was no tomorrow. It was good having her. Even though the friendship was a bit tainted by the fact that both had to be their best evil self and always strove to be better than the other, the absence of their evilness had made them the best of friends without either of them realizing this. Evie's absence these past few days had weighed on Mal, specifically the support she would give.

"I'm so sorry for what happened!" Evie said, finally breaking free from the hug, but with her hands still on Mal's arms. "Is Ben okay?"

Mal nodded. "He will be." Hopefully. It all depended on when the potion Uma had made him digest via apple was going to wear off. In the meantime, they could only hope for the best.

"What is it?" Evie eventually said after a long pause. Mal had been staring at her this entire time, a friendly smile on her face and her eyes full of light.

"Thanks for coming," Mal responded. Now it was Evie's turn to smile. She squeezed briefly in Mal's arm.

"Anytime."


	19. A bitter taste

_Standing in a mirror lane, wondering what to do_

 _Another day and gravity's got, got another hold of me_

 _I never dreamed that this could be happening, not to me_

 _But if he came falling down falling so hard, I started believing_

 **Skeletons (Dihaj)**

* * *

Jay rode the horse to Sirk's fields, where he was told Uma would be. She had notified him that her plan would come to fruition here, and had invited Jay to view the spectacle - a large execution of the heads of the alliance. At least, that was what she promised him, and he wasn't going to miss it for the world.

He had expected a crowd, celebrating an early victory. But when he arrived, he heard no music, no shouts or cries of victory. There was just silence.

He stopped his horse at the edge of the village and dismounted it.

He had stumbled upon a battlefield. Girls and boys were spread over the field. The tree had broken off and had left a stump, which had been used to impale a girl. More people lay in both natural and unnatural poses. Some were still breathing, while it was clear that others never would again.

A sense of fear gripped Jay. Did Mal really do this? It could never have been Mal alone. She wasn't possibly strong enough to manage this kind of carnage, was she? And if she wasn't, she must have had some sort of help.

There, among the crowd, he finally noticed Uma and Harry. She sat on the ground, while he knelt next to her and checked for any injuries. Jay marched towards them, disregarding those in need around him.

"What happened here?" Jay asked, drawing their attention. Mal couldn't have been this strong already - learning magic took time, and as far as he knew, she did not have any friends that could perform such strong magic.

Harry turned his head and there was fury in his eyes. He shot up, glaring at Jay.

"Where were you?" he yelled. "You offered to help."

"No, I offered information," Jay said, standing still. With Harry in this site, it may not be wise to approach him any further. "You got what you needed. All you had to do was take your chance."

They hadn't been prepared, Jay realized. What else could he expect from a ragtag team of strangers only working together because magic made them? He should've known they weren't up for the job yet.

"We did," Harry said in an accusatory tone. "It seemed you did not surrender all the information."

Jay scoffed. Did they really think of him as an idiot? Or, alternatively, were they really this dumb?

"I told you what I knew," Jay said.

Harry shrugged. "Wasn't good enough."

"Harry!" The two turned to Uma, who had been sitting on the ground, but who was now standing up. "I'll handle this." Harry glared at Jay once more before returning to her and standing behind her so Uma could take care of the visitor.

Uma folded her arms and looked at Jay with disapproval. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Depends on what you're talking about." He used an irritated tone. How dare they accuse him of withholding information. He had told them everything he knew, and if they just told him what they were referring to,

"We had the staff," Uma said calmly. "But it didn't work the way it was supposed to."

Jay frowned. "But it should work."

"Not in my hands, it didn't," Uma said., and finally he realized the implications of the staff. Not everyone is able to wield it. Of course Maleficent would place an enchantment on the damn thing, why would he ever assume otherwise. So if someone else were to try and use it…

Jay looked around again. Some were waking up and tending to their friends, while others were still lying down. Some of them would never get up.

"So Mal did not do this," he muttered to himself. Uma had defeated herself by trying to use the staff. How incompetent could they be?

"You withheld information," Uma said.

Jay shook his head. "I honestly did not know." He glanced around. "You made this mess. I suggest you fix this before the alliance comes and rounds you up."

Jay turned around and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Harry called out from behind.

Jafar's son raised his voice. "None of your business, Hook."

He ignored them when they called him. As he had said, they had failed. Now he needed to find another way to get to Mal without breaking that stupid promise his father made to get him out of that dungeon.

There had to be people who previously quit that alliance, right? People that just walked away and have resumed their normal lives. They weren't part of the alliance anymore and therefore, Jay could get to them without breaking the promise.

A sly smirk appeared on his face as he mounted his horse. This was going to work. He'd find the people he needed, hurt the alliance that way, all the while looking for new allies who could destroy or at least decimate the alliance.

It would take time. Luckily, Jay was a patient person.


	20. You and me

_Do you hear the people sing_

 _Lost in the valley of the night?_

 _It is the music of a people_

 _Who are climbing to the light._

 _For the wretched of the earth_

 _There is a flame that never dies._

 _Even the darkest night will end_

 _And the sun will rise._

 **Do you hear the people sing (Les Miserables; finale)**

* * *

The sun had already set when Ben woke up from a short nap.

There was some blood dripping from his nose. He vaguely remembered calling Lonnie out and calling her a traitor to the cause, followed by her punching him in the face.

Ben was delighted to find himself thinking he deserved it rather than yelling out his frustrations and throwing a lot of bad names at Lonnie. At least there was progress.

It was gone. Whatever Uma had made him eat, the effects of it had worn off. He sat backward in his chair, enjoying his freedom again. Now being rational again, he went over all the reasons that 'justified' following Uma and being loyal to her. There wasn't an awful lot, but there were some and they were quite convincing. The leaps his brain went through to be able to follow that wicked woman.

And Mal… She had to be so worried. SHe had to be so mad at him for giving in. She should be - one action has led to multiple, worse actions that ended in tragedy. Uma did not succeed, but what had happened?

The door creaked and Ben tensed up. Mal peeked through the crack at him. Ben relaxed again. The expression on her face wasn't one of fury, but one of sadness and heartbreak. Ben could only wonder where she was hiding her anger.

"Ben," she said, coming closer to him and ridding him of the rope. Apparently, she must've known this was the right time to get him out. It looked like she wanted to ask a question, but she dared not ask. Even when the rope wasn't scratching his wrists anymore, he did not rise up from his chair.

"I am so sorry," Ben said. He dared not to look her in the eyes. "She threatened to kill you, my family and everyone I cared about. If I didn't take that bite, she'd kill Carlos and other innocents." He hung his head. "She gave me no choice."

"It's not your fault," Mal said, placed a hand on his shoulder. Ben disagreed with that statement, but he would not say this out loud. He didn't want to get into an argument.

"I know. Apple laced with a magic potion." That first bite wasn't something he could be held accountable for, but what happened next was all on him. After that, it all seemed to be his free will.

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wanted Uma to get the staff. I mean, I…" Ben sighed. How do you explain that feeling, that you believe you were acting on your own free will? "The potion changed only my loyalties. It was enough. Uma just… she picked out my brain. Pulled me out and stuffed someone similar in. She unmade me. Turned me into the person I shouldn't be."

Mal frowned. "Shouldn't be?"

"The thought crossed my mind," he said. He briefly glanced at Mal and realized this wasn't a good idea. If he looked at her for too long, he may not be able to tell his story coherently anymore.

"It was just the one question. What would I be like, if I had been born to a villain? The answer had always come in wild guesses and estimates. But living the answer to that question…" Ben shook his head. These past twenty-four hours were to be forgotten as soon as possible.

He looked up at Mal again and this time, he found that he couldn't look away. "I'm not as good a person as I thought I was."

Mal sat down on her knees before him, disturbed. "How long have you been thinking this?"

Ben shrugged. "All my life."

Mal stood up again and the two stared at each other for a while without saying a word. Eventually, a sympathetic smile appeared on Mal's face.

"You are a good person." She meant it, though Ben doubted it.

"Am I?"

Mal shrugged. "Good, evil, it doesn't matter. It's what you choose to be that matters. I can positively say that's how it works." Mal paused and looked at him fondly. "It was a potion that made you evil. And if it really came from within you, then you are one of the strongest people I've ever met."

Ben lifted his head and looked in confusion at Mal. What was she talking about?

"Why?"

"Because you've managed to keep that so-called evil at bay," she responded, looking at his chest. He figured what she was after. He had a good heart, having been raised with good influences around him, and that had been enough for him to keep any evil - or bad - intentions to himself and to grow into a good person instead of a bad one.

Mal placed a hand on his chest, where his heart was. "You are good. Nobody can take that away from you. They can try, but they can't change who you are at heart. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Mal removed her hand from his chest and got up again, walking to the door. When she was about halfway there, she realized that Ben wasn't following her just yet. She turned to face him and saw him still sitting in the chair, not having moved an inch, still as distraught as the moment she stepped into the room.

"Are you coming?" she asked. He shook his head.

"You can't trust me," he said.

"I'll take my chances," Mal said. She walked back to Ben and placed her hands on his, kneeling for his chair. "We can do this together, you and me. But I'll need you to trust me."

That was something he could still do.

Ben nodded. "What do you want to do?"

"For starters? Create a true safe haven."


	21. Extra: Demons

**I'm sure you weren't expecting this.**

 **I considered turning this series into a trilogy, immediately starting to write "Demons" after finishing editing "Heathens". As previously said, I do not have the will nor the motivation to continue, but since I already planned out the majority of what would've been the third installment, it would be irrational and selfish not to share it with you guys, since you have a right to know how the story was going to end. So, if I had written "Demons", it would have looked like this:**

* * *

The prologue opens ominously when an unknown person stands before the Gates of the Underworld and opens them.

A scene set about a couple of says after Heathens details Jay finding out where Evie and Doug are. He goes to the house and looks through the window. He Sees Doug, Evie and a young child looking like Doug. Jay, not wanting to ruin a perfect moment, feels remorse and realizes he actually doesn't want to kill Evie. He leaves them alone and returns home, an empty hole in his heart. The child isn't actually theirs, but Doug's cousin had asked him if he wanted to babysit the little girls, to which he and Evie had agreed.

Now the main plot kicks in.

Taking place two months after the events of Heathens, Ben and Mal have decided to end the relationship until peace has returned to Auradon. They are still friends and don't act awkwardly around ook net another because the job needs to be done. They had just peacefully ended a conflict, and as a result, Anastasia Tremaine's son, as well as his cousins Drew and Dizzy, now rules over Tremaine's territory. Miles is doing well, feeling good in his new role; Philip is still missing. Carlos has sent a letter to them, warning them not to trust anyone unless you know they are legit. A couple of familiar strangers tried to get through the gates and they are revealed to be Chad and Hadrian.

Elsewhere, Carlos and Jane are in trouble, having traveled far and wide to get away from the problem at hand, which they describe as "the dead". They run into another one - a farmer who has no recollection of arriving there. They manage to have him leave them alone, but Carlos does not let go of his crossbow. They eventually reach the Sanctuary, run by Judge Frollo's daughter. They find a lot of common folks and find Philip, who tells them they have a serious problem.

Chad and Hadrian are confused but don't remember the causes of their deaths. Hadrian's powers still work and he feels uncomfortable around Chad because all he feels on him is death and he remembers watching him die. Chad himself feels fine, but he doesn't remember anything after accepting to duel. Ben eases him in by telling him he did die, but not who killed him. Mal suspects Hadrian, whose father is Hades, knows what is going on, but he doesn't know what or why, just that it is wrong and shouldn't be happening.

Uma and Harry still haven't found anything that could break the curse. Out of nowhere, Gil appearance. He is confused, but upon seeing her, he states that she killed him and his eyes turn black. Behind him, Melinda and Archie appear with the same black eyes and they kill everyone, but Uma and Harry manage to escape.

In Sirk, they come across a dead woman whom Evie killed while she was still evil. She attacks the happy couple, but Jay disposes of her, yet can't kill her. Evie is right to not trust him, but they accept his help. He tells them his family has been overrun by these demons and that he is the only one that got out alive. He witnessed the daughter of Iago's death and watched her get up again. They stay together for the time being.

Evie and Mal correspond with each other about Kay, and Mal cautions her to be wary around him.

Hades comes along to visit his son. He tells Hadrian that the Gates of the Underworld have been opened (metaphorically) but that he didn't do it, because he likes his people dead. He then tasks Hadrian with the quest to find out who did it and to stop them. However, Hadrian doesn't feel like questing. Then Hades turns to Mal - they are not related, but since Maleficent killed so many, he figures she's the next best person to do this. Mal accepts the offer.

Ben takes easing Chad into the idea of being alive a step further, saying Audrey betrayed them for Maleficent and that they had locked her up. Asking for some time alone, he descends the stairs and goes to the dungeon. Philip, Carlos, and Jane appear before Ben, who is extremely happy to see Philip. The man warns him of any resurrected people because they tend to become violent in the long run and possibly even earlier when they are faced with their killers or people they disliked. Learning about Chad being alive, Philip rushes to the dungeon to save Audrey from the demon (roll credits), as Chad was actually confronting Audrey and mentioning that he remembers she killed him. Philip shows up on time and kills the Chad-demon with Excalibur. Audrey has been saved and tearfully reconciles with Philip, asking forgiveness for what she's done. He accepts her apology.

Carlos and Ben reunite, and so does he and Carlos' boyfriend, because apparently she was also a part of the alliance, but fled when the beasts attacked. She does not want anything to do with the alliance, the wand, and her mother anymore and prefers to live in anonymity. Mal explains to the newcomers what Hades had told her to do. They all decide to help her - except for Jane, who rather wants to return to that safe space. Hadrian only goes along until he finds a nice place to stay. Philip will take Jane to the safe space before looking for the culprit, and Hades had also given them a list of possible culprits, some of which are Nyx, Nemesis, Eris, and Erebos.

In the meantime, people are getting suspicious of the dead. Their violence towards the recently resurrected has proven they will fight back. Jay advises to leave the city behind, and though they are still a bit skeptical, Doug and Evie agree. Evie has another conversation with Mal, and they exchange the latest news. Mal advises them to find a place where the dead can't reach them for a safe space (not Neverland, because the lost boys are in for revenge), while Evie and Doug (and Jay, though not as much) wish her luck in finding who did this and reversing this. Doug and Evie, having now learned of Philip's safe space at Sanctuary, decide to go there. On their way out of the town, Doug can't help but tell some people, who then follow them out. The group of fifteen leave the city behind to trek to Sanctuary.

On the first day of the expedition to find out who exactly had released the dead, Lonnie volunteers to defend the castle the best way she can so it is not left undefended.

Now, from here on out, things are less planned out. I only have a general outline, so if something is confusing, I just hadn't had the time to figure out what exactly was going to stay and what had to go, or in what order things were going to go, or even to resolve those confusing issues.

At one point, the expedition was going to find out that Eris (Strife) is the one who caused the dead to rise, and that she had done this with Thanatos' (Death) twin brother Hypnos (Sleep). After this revelation, they bump into Harry and Uma, who tell them what happened. For their own personal gain - to make the killings stop and so they wouldn't be killed - they tag along, much to everyone's dismay, especially Hadrian, who believes Harry should've been dead already. That evening, they come across a ten-house village which had been killed and those who perished had turned into demons themselves. They fight, and Harry stays behind the fend them off with Philip while the others left. Philip would return, but not Harry.

Though the next morning, Harry does return again, seemingly unscathed, a bit ticked off and confused, complaining something's off but not exactly knowing what it is, and also something's wrong with his ears. Hadrian reiterates that Harry should've been dead already, and Mal wonders what's going on. In order not to lose their trust, Uma tells the true story - as Harry tried to cross the sea from Neverland to Auradon, he drowned. Uma traded her tentacles in exchange for his life. However, it was just false, since his heart did not beat, and he did not sleep nor eat, and he was in distress. Uma magically made Harry believe nothing was wrong, that he just did not eat or sleep much and so he wouldn't notice his heartbeat was missing. Breathing was just a habit never broken. Feeling betrayed, Harry refuses to speak to her again and distances himself, but still tags along. Yes, Uma did want her tentacles back, but she also wanted to restore Harry to his previous state.

Jay, Doug, and Evie would somehow attract more people on their way to Sanctuary. Not many demons know of this yet, but it would soon be apparent that they would attack this caravan to Sanctuary. Jay and Evie finally find the time to reconcile and though he is not redeemed, Jay tries to do what is best for these people, at least until the demon problem has been solved and he can go his separate way again. He does walk around with guilt on his shoulders since he wasn't able to save Iara from death.

The expedition was going to find Strife, who make everyone fight each other, and mostly because of Uma and Mal putting aside their differences and knowing that these fights are artificial, they can beat her. But they still need to find Hypnos to free Thanatos and restore death to the lands. During this fight among friends, Philip would get mortally injured. Hadrian would see to it that Strife returned to the Underworld. This would be Hadrian's last appearance.

Uma and Mal would both descend to the Underworld themselves to find a solution. They each have to make a great sacrifice to receive the answer. Mal does not hesitate to sacrifice her magic, while Uma does not disclose what she gave up. They learn where to find Hypnos. Returning to the living world, Philip is doing worse and worse, and Harry is on the verge of just running away, but stays because he's dead, can't die and can't be turned into a demon.

Only one day before reaching Sanctuary, the demons find them and catch up on them. Jay and some brave men and women hold their ground while Doug and Evie lead the others away. Later, after they were all supposedly slaughtered, only Jay returned, but he did keep his distance as well after being traumatized by the brutal way these demons have been slaughtering the others.

Right before the confrontation with Hypnos, Philip succumbs to his wounds. He asks them right before his death to leave his body until they are sure the Gates of the Underworld are closed before they come back for his body and to kill his demon form when it shows up. Audrey has a hard time letting go, but Carlos pushes her away from her father's body.

At the confrontation, Mal finally reveals she has lost her magic in order to find them, effectively having only Uma as a magic user against the man. Hypnos is quickly subdued and they are happy and rejoice. Only Uma would realize Hypnos is playing them and forcefully tries to wake up. Mal realizes that Uma is telling the truth. However hard she tries, she doesn't succeed to free them from the dream. However, in the real world, Hypnos is concerned at his victims and right before killing them, the dragon inside Mal forcefully wakes up and her shrieks are enough to wake up the rest of the company. The fight truly begins as Hypnos and his three children fight Mal, Ben, Uma, Harry, and Carlos.

Right at the gate of Sanctuary do the demons reappear. Jay again stands his ground, but this time Doug and Evie witness him get critically stabbed, mortally wounded, but still, he stands and it's revealed Jay has already died and is a demon, but he redirects his anger towards the demons to make sure everyone can enter Sanctuary. But Jay alone is not enough and Evie goes to fight by his side.

Mal, as a dragon, in combination with Uma's magic, manage to defeat Hypnos - but since it's hard to kill a personification of a concept, he still has a little time to gloat, especially about Harry having to go to the Underworld when Thanatos wakes and Mal never being able to cast a spell in her entire life again. He falls apart in a thousand pieces and it is predicted he won't be able to recollect himself for the next five hundred years.

Thanatos personally comes to greet them and thank them. He cannot physically undo the vows that the two ladies made. Mal will never be able to do any magic herself ever again. When Thanatos leaves, Uma joins him. Harry finds that he can feel his heartbeat again, and Uma explains she gave up her life to give to him. Uma cannot change it and despite the animosity that there was between the two during the trip, Harry can't accept Uma's sacrifice, and she leaves him behind, heartbroken. At the other side of Auradon, all demons turn to dust and so does Jay, sharing one last look with Evie before turning to dust himself.

An epilogue would detail how each of them ended up. Carlos and Jane don't marry off the bat, but Carlos stays in the village where he met her and works as a bartender. He still occasionally picks up the crossbow for sports. Evie and Doug are expecting their first child and they live happily in Sirk. Audrey has decided to take up training with Lonnie, who survived the fight. Miles has really grown into his role as a healer.

Mal and Ben reconcile and get back together. News of demon attacks across the lands reach them, and they learn that 80 percent of the villain population of Auradon has been killed. They take the opportunity to oversee, but not personally interfere, in the affairs of the regions and watch them elect a new leader. They have faith in the future, and Mal isn't sure whether she can summon the dragon again, but she is sure she does not wish to do unleash it again. They have a positive outlook on the future.

* * *

 **After this, there would be no more stories. I did not plan on adapting the third Descendants movie (despite that element of Hades/the Underworld being involved) and was just going to leave it be, making this third installment a completely original story set within the Warriors universe.**

 **So, that was it from me. I hope to see you soon, in this fandom or another, and I hope you have a great day. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following. It was a pleasure to write these stories and even better to know you read and enjoyed them.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **-Writer207**


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